The artwork, titled “557 Houses in the Snow in a Silver Shower,” was created by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1962. This piece, rendered in watercolor, belongs to the Transautomatism art movement and is characterized as a figurative work.
In this artwork, Hundertwasser employs a vivid color palette to depict a series of houses set against a snowy background. The rooftops are painted in striking red hues, contrasted by the white snow and silver elements that give the piece its title. The composition includes five houses closely grouped together, each adorned with distinctive patterns and a surreal sense of structure, typical of Hundertwasser’s style. Yellow and green elements likely representing fences or vegetation border the lower part of the composition. An abstract pathway or stream rendered in red cuts through the snow, leading the viewer’s eye from the foreground to the cluster of houses. Consistent with Hundertwasser’s oeuvre, the artwork skillfully blends natural and architectural elements, presenting a fantastical yet organized depiction of a whimsical village scene.
