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This colourful painting is one of the earliest surviving paintings in Grossberg's oeuvre. Created in Weimar in 1919/1920, it was produced while the artist was studying at the Staatliches Bauhaus (State Bauhaus), initially on a probationary basis.

The elements depicted in 'Houses, Tower and Mountains' were created by the painter using simple geometric shapes, dispensing with details and embellishments. The scene is dominated by the three primary colours, red, yellow and blue, as well as green. The slender tower is positioned centrally, surrounded by several houses. The mountains behind it rise up to the edge of the picture, obscuring the view into the distance and flattening the pictorial space. An indeterminable light to the right behind the tower seems to illuminate the painting from behind.

Grossberg's most important teacher at the Bauhaus was Lyonel Feininger, with whom he remained in contact even after his departure in 1921. The painting clearly shows the influence of his teacher in both its formal language and compositional decisions. Furthermore, the teachings of Johannes Itten, with whom Grossberg completed a preliminary course, can also be recognised, especially with regard to the colours.