View from Torbole of the western shore of Lake Garda

Painted in 1913, this calm view shows Lake Garda from the town of Torbole, at the northern tip of Italy's biggest lake. Koloman Moser set up his easel to face the rugged western shore, where the mountains climb steeply out of the water. Warm browns, golds, and flashes of green cover the slopes, while the lake below rests in soft blues and greens. The whole scene carries the hush of a hazy afternoon, when the air feels heavy and everything seems to pause.

Moser was an Austrian artist who helped launch the Vienna Secession, a daring movement that shook up the country's art scene around 1900. For most of his career he made his mark in the decorative arts, designing furniture, jewelry, posters, and stained glass. His painter's eye for color and pattern still shows up here, especially in the little dabs of paint that stack together to form the rocky hillside, a bit like tiles in a mosaic.

This landscape belongs to his later years, since Moser died in 1918 when he was only fifty. Rather than aiming for something grand, he simply recorded a place that caught his attention and gave it his full care. Anyone who has stood beside a quiet lake and let the view sink in will recognize the feeling this picture captures.