Dalmatinische Landschaft 1924

Otto Mueller made this watercolor of a Dalmatian Landscape sometime in the early twentieth century. We know Mueller was associated with the German Expressionist group Die Brücke, a movement that challenged the conservative artistic norms of the time. This image seems at first glance to just be a simple landscape, but the unblended colors and stark lines are an intentional challenge to the norms of traditional landscape painting. By using simple shapes and non-naturalistic colors, he draws attention to the act of seeing itself, inviting the viewer to engage actively with the artwork rather than passively accept a pretty picture. Historians explore the social context of art by consulting period writings, exhibition reviews, and artists' manifestos. When we analyze those sources, we find that this kind of painting was viewed as radical by the cultural establishment, precisely because it challenged expectations and provoked critical thought.