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The Mountain The Mountain was completed in 1937 by Balthasar Klossowski (Comte de Rola, b. 1908) known by his childhood nickname of Balthus. The painting is considered one of the artist's most important early works. First exhibited in 1939 with the title "Summer," it remains the only completed painting in a projected cycle of the four seasons. The painting dates to the postwar period in Europe, an era where people were experiencing a deep sense of despair and disillusionment, factors that had a profound implication for art at the time. Balthus uses his talent and skill, which resulted in an eerie sense of the anxiety and decadence that haunted the renascent Europe of the inter-war years. The mountain’s appearance displays Balthus’ imagination with enigmatically narrative compositions. This majestic panorama is also his largest canvas and one of the few that depicts figures in a landscape. The painting depicts the summit of a mountain where a group of people seek refuge or are embarked on a journey. The composition includes seven figures; three males and three females. The painting draws attention to three people in the foreground. One male, beside his knapsack, is on one knee resting and leaning on his cane. One femal