Early in his career, his first landscape paintings did not reveal more than a moderate talent and were not too well received.  Disappointed with his own work, in the late 1870s he dared to quit it completely. Fortunately, he soon came into contact with Otto Bache, a Danish realist landscape artist and was given the opportunity to work in his studio under his guidance. Here Niss got a feel for the new trends in French landscape painting.  He was influenced by French artists Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who were developing a new style, impressionism, often painted en plein air, outdoors.  On joint excursions he learned to create a larger and more picturesque view of his motifs, and in the early 1880s, Niss is one of the breakthrough men of the modern landscape artists. His broadly landscaped shapes with vivid colors applied with a palette knife. For a number of years, ihis autumn and winter landscapes brought him recognition.  In the late 1880s he searched for Skagen where he flung himself over the portrayal of the sea and waves and with his peculiar perception of color and movement.

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Forest with Wildlife is a classic fall scene with distinct earthy tones.  The scene draws you into the darkened forest toward to deer in the far distance. 

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