Crescent of Houses, 1915 by Egon Schiele

In the spring of 1911, Schiele relocated to his mother's hometown of Krumau. There he created miniature views of the city in which he neglected geographical correctness in order to underline the enervating impression on him of the apparently lovely medieval town. Homes are frequently arranged in nearly abstract configurations and viewed from an overly elevated vantage point, much like they would be on a chessboard.

After his brief detention, Schiele returned to Vienna, but his obsession with painting Krumau did not end there. He made brief trips back, lodging at nearby inns to quickly relive the isolated understanding he so aptly captured in so much of his artwork.

Schiele's draftsmanship is frequently praised. This view's reclining angle and dynamic use of line bring to mind the sensual twists and turns of his sensually charged nudes. Washing lines have an equally dynamic and vigorous exhibition. This tapestry has great power. A town empty of inhabitants once more, but nonetheless thriving in spite of their absenteeism.