Description
Edge of Town (Crescent of Houses III) is a 1918 oil painting by Egon Schiele: a view from above of a small town climbing a slope in green, orange, white and lilac. The original is held by the Neue Galerie Graz, Universalmuseum Joanneum, under inventory number I/466 and measures 139.4 x 109.4 cm. We paint it by hand in oils on canvas at the size you choose, and before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished work for approval.
| Title: | Edge of Town (Crescent of Houses III) |
| Other titles: | German: Stadtende (Häuserbogen III) |
| Painter: | Egon Schiele (1890–1918) |
| Year: | 1918 |
| Original size (width × height): | 139.4 x 109.4 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Style: | Expressionism |
| Location: | Neue Galerie Graz, Universalmuseum Joanneum (inv. I/466) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, 5 sizes from 70 x 55 cm to 165 x 130 cm, or a made-to-measure size |
Edge of Town (Crescent of Houses III) – Egon Schiele
What does the painting show?
The town is seen from above: gables and roofs stack up the slope, one above the other, in bright green, orange, white and lilac. The window frames are blue and the chimneys orange, and it is these small accents that hold the whole thing together. Green trees crowd the right-hand side, and a dark hillside closes the back of the picture so the eye never escapes into sky. A few tiny figures are scattered among the houses – just enough to say that the town is lived in.
Why do people love it?
Because this is Schiele’s town in colour. His earlier townscapes are grey and anxious; here the roofs are almost a mosaic, each patch with its own tone, and yet every tone is tuned to its neighbours, so the painting is lively and calm at once. From across a room it reads as one large pattern of colour; up close you start counting windows, chimneys and little figures. The green and orange are warm enough for a living room, while the lilac and white keep the work from going heavy. It is also one of the last pictures Schiele painted.
Where does it sit among Schiele’s works?
Among his townscapes, a subject he painted from his first years to his last. Related works in our selection are Crescent of Houses II, Mödling II, Town among Greenery (The Old City III) and Village at the Foot of a Hill. Edge of Town (Crescent of Houses III) dates from 1918, the year he died, aged 28. The full selection is in the Egon Schiele gallery, with more on his life in our article about Egon Schiele.
How is our hand-painted version made?
A painter works every canvas in oils, stroke by stroke: a hand-painted painting made for your order, not a machine print. Two things are hard here. The first is the colour mosaic of the roofs: every patch has its own tone, and if a single one slips too warm or too cool the rhythm of the whole falls apart – so we mix as we go and always compare against the neighbouring tone, never work through in order. The second is the tiny figures, a few strokes each: paint them too precisely and they become dolls, and the town stops moving. Like the original, our copy is oil on canvas. When it is finished we photograph it and send you the photograph for approval, and only then does it ship. We have not yet painted or photographed this work in our workshop, so the only photograph on this page is of the original and there are no workshop photographs yet.
Which size for which wall?
The original is 139.4 cm wide and 109.4 cm high, and of our sizes 135 x 105 cm comes closest to it. Above a sofa or a long sideboard, 135 x 105 cm or 110 x 85 cm; above a desk or in a dining room, 90 x 70 cm; in a hallway or a smaller room, 70 x 55 cm; on a large wall, in a stairwell or in a room with a high ceiling, 165 x 130 cm. Because the picture is built from many small patches it gains with size: at 70 x 55 cm you see a pattern, at 135 x 105 cm you see individual houses. Hang it with the centre at eye level, about 145–150 cm from the floor.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If none of our sizes suits your wall, we paint the work to your own measurement. If you choose “YES” under the Stretcher option, the canvas comes stretched on a wooden stretcher, ready to hang. Our 3D application is for choosing a frame only, not for showing the work on your wall. The frame is chosen separately and need not be part of the order.
Delivery and guarantee
We paint to order and deliver to sixteen countries in the European Union, among them Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Germany and France; the United Kingdom and Ireland are not currently among them. The painting arrives protectively packed and, if you chose “YES” under Stretcher, stretched on the stretcher; before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished work to approve. Production time depends on the size and on the studio’s workload. Every order is covered by our Returns and Refund Policy.
Frequently asked questions
What does Edge of Town (Crescent of Houses III) show?
A small town on a slope seen from above: roofs and gables stacked one over the other, trees on the right, a dark hillside behind. A few tiny figures stand among the houses.
When did Schiele paint it?
In 1918. Schiele died in Vienna in October 1918 at the age of 28, so this is one of his last oils.
Which colours dominate?
Bright green, orange, white and lilac on the houses, blue window frames and orange chimneys, green trees on the right and a dark hillside behind.
Are there people in it?
Yes, a few tiny figures among the houses. Each is only a few brushstrokes, and you notice them only from close up.
Where is the original?
In the Neue Galerie Graz, Universalmuseum Joanneum, under inventory number I/466.
Does it work as a gift?
Yes; if you are unsure which size to choose, there is a gift voucher.
Is this a print?
No. Every canvas is painted by hand in oils by a painter, for your order. We photograph the finished work and send you the photograph before it is dispatched.
How do I look after it?
Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators and damp. Dust it with a dry soft brush; never use water or detergent on an oil painting.
