Setting Sun

Once the sun sets, the earth turns cold, almost as if its light has been extinguished, as we can see in the foreground’s dark bands of grass and tiny flowers. Two small trees tower over the hilly terrain in the foreground; the tops of the trees crisscross with the sea, the islands, and the sky. Every leaf on the twigs is dried-up and has grown stiff from the cold; the branches themselves turn toward each other, in need of shelter. The sinking sun is only partially visible and the backlit mountains appear in a cold, carmine coloring. It is a farewell to light, warmth, and life. Schiele’s inspiration for this scene most likely came from the coast near Trieste and the two barren red-rocked islands lying off the coast. Before Rudolf Leopold acquired the painting, it was hanging above the desk belonging to Schiele’s long-time patron and collector, Arthur Roessler.