River Landscape 1913

Egon Schiele’s “River Landscape” is an expressionistic landscape painting which is part of a private collection. Imagine the act of painting itself—how it emerges through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with Schiele, what it might have been like to create the work, what he might have been thinking when he made it, and what was it like to be him? The paint is applied in thin layers which contribute to the emotional and intellectual resonance of the work. The brown and purple colors are earthy but the peaks of the mountains are angular and jagged. See how the lines in the ground communicate intention and meaning, and how the bare trees emphasize the desolation of the scene. The small white markings could be houses or gravestones. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.