Autumn Sun I (Rising Sun) 1912

Editor: So here we have Egon Schiele's "Autumn Sun I (Rising Sun)" from 1912, an oil painting currently in a private collection. What strikes me immediately is its strange quietness – almost haunting in its simplicity. What do you make of it? Curator: Haunting is a perfect word! It has a kind of stark beauty, doesn't it? Those attenuated trees reaching up to a milky sky… The landscape is simplified, distilled, but intensely felt. What about those pops of unreal color on the tree trunks – that strange ultramarine? What does that do for you? Editor: It feels… artificial. Like nature is being forced or altered in some way, definitely not your typical landscape colors. Does that unnatural color hold any particular symbolism? Curator: Perhaps! Schiele was exploring the psychological landscape as much as the physical one. These aren't just trees; they are embodiments of feeling. He distorts reality to reveal inner truths. The gaunt trees might symbolize loneliness or the struggle for survival, set against a backdrop of almost oppressive nothingness. The autumn setting emphasizes a feeling of fading and loss. The high sun makes me think about memory or nostalgia, casting harsh shadows, don’t you agree? Editor: Yes, it gives the scene a melancholic air, tinged with foreboding, very thought-provoking indeed. I never looked at trees so hard! Curator: Art holds a magic mirror, doesn’t it? I'll be looking at trees in a new way for a while myself now. Thanks to you.