Gabriele Münter was a co-founder of the artists’ group Der Blaue Reiter. She is considered one of the most important painters of early modernism in Germany. Münter found rural tranquility in the idyllic surroundings of the small Bavarian town of Murnau, far from the booming metropolises. It was there that Münter painted her early “Christmas Still Life.” Inspired by folk art, the painting depicts a domestic scene. In the center is a snow-covered Christmas tree. A painting by Wassily Kandinsky hangs on the wall. A mirror reflection of the artist—confidently painting at the easel—is observable in the background of the painting. The dense spatial composition lends the work an enigmatic character, which is intensified by the presence of Münter’s indistinct, faceless silhouette.