Nach Dem Friedensschluss 1809 1902

Albin Egger-Lienz made this very large painting – its full title is *After the Peace Treaty of 1809* – and the palette he's using is super muted and somber. This makes me think about how artists often choose to limit their colors as a way to focus on the emotional or conceptual side of things. The paint seems really worked into the canvas, like he was pushing it around to get a certain texture. Everything seems very physical. Look at the figure in the front with the walking stick; it looks like the stick and the ground are almost the same color, blending together. This reminds me of something Morandi might do, where he reduces everything to its simplest form and explores subtle shifts in tone and value. Ultimately, this work suggests a mood of introspection and restraint rather than simple storytelling. I think art invites us to slow down and look more closely, to consider what it means to see and feel in different ways.