Czóbel Béla, Szőlőhegy Würzburgban, 1923 

Béla Czóbel painted "Vineyard in Würzburg" in 1923 with an unknown medium on canvas. Though Czóbel was Hungarian, this black and white painting depicts a German town. The lack of color gives the painting a bleak outlook, perhaps indicative of Germany’s economic status at the time it was painted. In the aftermath of WWI, the country faced mass unemployment and hyperinflation. This bleakness seeps into the image, where the town appears to be separated from the vineyards by what could be a river, or just as easily a large gap in the earth. Paintings such as this one offer valuable insight into how Central European artists perceived society in a time of great change. Art historians rely on sources like personal letters, economic data, and period literature to more deeply understand works of art in their full social context.