Traunsee with Mountain Schlafende Griechin [Sleeping Greek Woman]

• Richard Gerstl (1883–1908)
• 1907
• Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard
• Leopold Museum, Vienna

This work depicts the Lake Traunsee with a view of the Erlakogel mountain where Richard Gerstl spent the summer of 1907. The Erlakogel, the highest mountain on the lake’s east shore, was also called the “sleeping Greek woman” as its silhouette resembles a female profile. The rocks and the forest were rendered with fast, vehement brushstrokes, which Gerstl uses alongside detailed segments. The painting shows that the painter turned from Post-Impressionism to a more free, expressive style at this time.