The road (theme from Nussdorf) 1907

Editor: Here we have Richard Gerstl's "The road (theme from Nussdorf)", painted in 1907 using oil paint. The thick brushstrokes give the scene a sense of unease, and almost abstract the landscape. How do you see this piece through a formalist lens? Curator: Note the way Gerstl uses impasto; the physicality of the paint creates texture and depth. Consider how this physicality communicates. Does the density of the paint contribute to a specific reading? Also, the composition eschews traditional perspective. Where does your eye land, and why? Editor: I think my eye goes straight to the telephone pole; its strong verticality is almost bisecting the work. Then maybe up to the buildings and the thick cloudy sky? Curator: Precisely. Gerstl disrupts conventional landscape painting by prioritizing surface and texture. The muted palette contributes to a certain mood, wouldn't you say? Notice how colour isn't mimetic but structural. The touches of yellow ochre, for example, articulate planes and suggest form. Consider this as a construction, more than representation. Editor: That makes sense. So he is using colour not to describe, but to build? I hadn’t thought of it that way. Curator: Exactly! And through this act of construction he breaks from conventional ways of seeing the world, and offers the viewer a compositionally and structurally rigorous image. Editor: I see! Thanks for explaining the impact of surface and materiality. This makes me want to think about the intention of the artist much differently, prioritizing the material decisions. Curator: Indeed, observing the structure gives us a perspective into new modes of interpreting Gerstl's output.