Erzberg, 1942

Herbert Boeckl first came to Eisenerz in 1942 to paint a mural on behalf of the Österreichisch-Alpine Montangesellschaft. Although the commission fell through, he filled a sketchbook, painted several watercolours and a series of six oil paintings. Starting with this one, he increasingly abstracted the characteristic forms of the mountain until 1948. Like Cezanne 60 years earlier, Boeckl studied the mountain and captured its form, surface, light and shadow through colour alone. The harsh juxtaposition of colour contrasts emphasises the rugged form of the mountain, which is created without contour lines.