Before Paul Baum turned to his moderate Divisionist style of painting, his works were entirely under the influence of 19th century Impressionism and plein-air painting. Baum shied away from glaring contrasts in his landscapes; neither the skies nor the landscapes evince spectacular light events. Paul Baum visualizes the harmony of a landscape under somewhat diffuse lighting conditions. The delicate values of incredibly differentiated color gradations form an image of calm serenity, in which the landscape is sufficient unto itself. It takes a highly sensitized eye to fathom the artist's landscapes; while the reward is all the richer. Paul Baum is one of the few German late Impressionists who have left us a self-contained painterly oeuvre, the real significance of which was only recognized belatedly.