The artwork “Stein on the Danube” was created by Egon Schiele in 1913 in Vienna, Austria. This cityscape is an oil painting on panel that measures 39.8 by 31.6 centimeters. As an exemplar of the Art Nouveau (Modern) movement, the artwork showcases Schiele’s distinctive style during that period. Although it currently resides in a private collection, the piece vividly conveys a historical moment and the aesthetic sensibilities of its time through its depiction of the urban landscape.
The artwork captures a compelling cityscape with a strong, vertical church tower that immediately draws the viewer’s attention. The tower appears to be the focal point around which the rest of the town is structured. Differing shades of brown and ochre dominate the composition, evoking a feeling of the natural integration of the built environment with the surrounding landscape. There is a distinct use of line and contour that emphasizes the form and structure of the buildings, indicative of Schiele’s style which often flirted with the edges of abstraction.
The houses below the tower exhibit dark windows and varied rooflines, contributing to the organic feel of the scene. The foreground shows what seems to be a riverbank, delineated with a paler hue that contrasts with the darker, richer colors of the town’s architecture. Despite the painting’s apparent stillness, there is a dynamic quality in the way the shapes and lines interact, echoing the vibrancy and innovation of the Art Nouveau movement. Trees with bare branches in the bottom part of the artwork suggest a quiet, possibly autumnal or winter season, adding to the overall melancholic but striking nature of the landscape Schiele portrayed.
