5 Late Summer Artworks

In the period known as the 'dog days' (in the northern hemisphere), many of us are quite ready for autumn to arrive. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by the hues, the heat, the harvest, and the heady atmospheres of late summer.

In the summer of 1890, Monet began painting his famous series of twenty-five works depicting haystacks in the fields of Giverny.

In the Van Gogh and the Monet, there are no people. They're interested in the landscape and the feelings it inspires. But Brazilian painter Candido Portinari was all about people. He painted working Brazilians and their everyday lives, elevating and celebrating them.

Despite the almost heroic depiction of the farmers and the warm color of the painting, Portinari isn't simply romanticizing the scene. The angry red of the beating sun makes us feel the heat and hardship of labor. As it sets, we're aware of the inevitable passing of time.

Whew! Time to cool off with a dip in the sea. Sorolla was known as the 'master of light' thanks to his skill in painting sunlight on water.

Every summer for sixteen years, Klimt would holiday on Lake Attersee in Upper Austria. He depicted the lake in many paintings. Here, he paints SChloss Kammer, the 17th-century castle he could see from his holiday home on the bank of the lake.