The artwork titled “Sunflower” was created by artist Egon Schiele in 1908, in Vienna, Austria. The medium employed was oil on cardboard, a choice that complements the Expressionist movement to which the work is attributed. As a genre, this piece falls under landscape, although its portrayal of the sunflower suggests a strong focus on the natural element within that broader category.
The artwork depicts the sunflower in a style characteristic of Expressionism, with bold, emotive brushstrokes and a vivid color palette that evokes a sense of emotional resonance rather than realistic representation. The large, dark sunflower head droops heavily atop a thick stem, flanked by large, asymmetrical leaves rendered in various shades of green and touches of yellow. The background appears to be abstractly rendered, with streaks of blue and white, which could be interpreted as the sky. The overall composition conveys a sense of melancholy or introspection—a departure from traditional, idyllic representations of flowers—reflecting the artist’s personal vision and emotional state rather than an objective reality.
