Stille Straße

A dusty country road curves gently through this watercolor by Marie Egner, drawing us toward a huddle of warm-toned buildings baking in the sun. A domed church peeks up behind them, set against soft blue hills that seem to melt into the sky. Egner kept her brushwork loose and breezy, letting the bare white of the paper stand in for sunlight bouncing off the pale path. The German title "Stille Straße," or "Quiet Street," fits perfectly, since the whole scene has a hushed, sleepy feel, like a town resting in the heat of the afternoon.

Born in Austria in 1850, Egner earned a solid reputation at a time when few women managed to make careers as painters. She studied with the respected landscape artist Emil Jakob Schindler and joined a group of painters known for their gentle, atmospheric approach, sometimes called "mood Impressionism." Watercolors, flowers, and gardens were her strong suit, and that delicate handling shows here in the feathery greenery and shifting light. Trips through Italy were something of a rite of passage for artists of her era, and this quiet corner gave her the chance to paint exactly the kind of everyday, sun-soaked spot she loved.