Der Berg

Werefkin employed vigorous, visible brushwork and non-naturalistic color to convey emotional intensity. Bold swaths of blue, red, and yellow define form and space, rejecting traditional perspective in favor of rhythmic composition. The paint is applied with physicality, creating texture that enhances the sense of movement. Her approach aligns with Expressionist principles, prioritizing subjective experience over optical accuracy.

Created in 1919, *Der Berg* emerged after Werefkin had settled in Zürich, where she continued to develop her style away from the Munich art scene. The painting entered the Kunsthaus Zürich collection in the decades following its creation, likely through direct acquisition or donation. Its preservation in a major Swiss institution underscores its recognition within European modernism, despite Werefkin’s relative marginalization in art historical narratives.

In the aftermath of World War I, Werefkin’s work reflected broader cultural shifts toward introspection and abstraction. Her use of color and simplified forms paralleled contemporaneous developments in German Expressionism and Swiss modernism, yet she maintained a distinct voice shaped by her Russian heritage and feminist perspective. Unlike many male peers, she often painted landscapes as psychological spaces rather than mere scenery.

Though long overlooked, *Der Berg* and Werefkin’s broader oeuvre have gained renewed scholarly attention in recent decades. The painting exemplifies how female artists contributed to Expressionism’s formal innovations. Its presence in a major public collection affirms its importance as a document of early modernist landscape painting, challenging traditional narratives that excluded women from the movement’s core.