Der Spaziergang

The old lady with her dark clothing and headscarf strides ahead with her stick, followed by a younger woman in white and a couple walking at the rear. Karl Schmoll von Eisenwerth’s (1879-1948) beloveds are taking a stroll on the brow of a hill.

In 1904 the painter photographed his wife Sophie, her aunt Maria, and her brother Willy Reynier during an outing. In 1905, back in the studio, he invested considerable effort in preserving the summer freshness of that day in the large-format oil painting. With light dabs of the brush he conjured a hillside meadow which he strewed with dandelions and quivering grasses. He carefully modelled a high area of sky which he covered with gray, stripy clouds against a light blue background. And at the end he gave the picture brilliance – and a strong varnish.

Just two years after the picture was painted in found its way into the museum. In 1907 Adolf Wenk-Wolf donated it to the newly completed Kunsthalle.