The subject matter of Green Trees and Blue Lagoon is of secondary importance, for Lutz was moving away from the specificity of time and place. He stated that this painting "marks the beginning of my dedication to the use of lush color and free brushwork." Anisfeld, his teacher in Chicago, had stressed the primary importance of color. In this painting the blues and greens are spirited and, although based on reality, assume an expressionist, nonreferential dimension. With an almost opaque medium, Lutz dashed the pigment onto the paper with short, swirling movements. The calligraphic touch enhances the soft quality of the foliage and atmosphere enveloping the trees. The brushwork and landscape subject, combined with the extremely horizontal format, are reminiscent of oriental screens.
