1004 - Martin Wirth, Iceland, waterfowl on Mývatn, ducks among reeds against mountain scenery, 2000

Martin Wirth, Iceland, waterfowl on Mývatn, ducks among reeds against mountain scenery, 2000 (1939 – 2017 Ilsenburg), watercolour over pencil on paper, signed "Wirth" centre right, inscribed and dated verso "Island, 2000", titled "Wasservögel" with the names of the bird species and "am Myvatn" and signed "M. Wirth", shallow water with ducks among reeds and grass, on the left green hills with grazing animals and a stone wall, on the right fence posts with a perched bird, violet-grey mountains in the background, among them a mountain with a flat summit plateau, good condition commensurate with age, edges and upper half of the image slightly stained, image 24x32 cm (HxW) Mývatn in the north of Iceland, about 50 km south of Húsavík, takes its name from the midges that swarm over the water in summer: Midge Lake. With an area of 37 km² it is the fourth-largest lake on the island, yet at most 4.5 m deep, and lies at around 288 m in a volcanic landscape with the pseudocraters of Skútustaðir, the explosion crater Hverfjall and the lava formations of Dimmuborgir. From May to July numerous duck species breed here, and red-necked phalaropes find abundant food in the midge swarms, which is why the lake is known as a destination for birdwatchers. On his travels in the years around 2000, the landscape painter Martin Wirth from the Harz also captured Madeira and Iceland in his pictures.