Poster for the exhibition 1908 Kunstschau, 1908

An undisputed highlight in Rudolf Kalvach’s (1883–1932) artistic career was the poster he designed for the 1908 Kunstschau – the most ground-breaking event in Vienna’s art scene at the beginning of the 20th century. Showing a kneeling female figure in front of a wooded landscape, the artist’s design is dominated by reduced forms, angled lines and planar depictions. While Kalvach’s design vocabulary can be incorporated seamlessly into the stylistic tradition of Viennese poster art, to which the Kunstschau dedicated an entire room designed by Bertold Löffler (1874–1960), it does show traits that herald a new way of artistic thinking. As with his fellow student Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980) and his work The Cotton Picker, Kalvach’s poster design marked a turning point in his oeuvre and attracted a lot of attention. Along with this work, two further creations by Kalvach were presented to the visitors of the Kunstschau.

AS, 2021