Cover Design of the First Founders’ Portfolio of Ver Sacrum with Allegorical Female Head and the Emblem of the Secession, 1899

Throughout the six-year run of the magazine Ver Sacrum, Koloman Moser (1868–1918) created around 140 contributions – from initials to covers – and had a greater impact on the design of the publication than any other artist. This Cover Design of the First Founders’ Portfolio of Ver Sacrum shows Moser’s preference for long, curved lines and large, tapering shapes. The face of the allegorical woman’s head is composed of isolated dark spaces and a web of bright lines that are left blank. The characteristic appearance of the design is influenced by the Japanese stencil print technique of katagami, which had a strong impact on Moser’s artistic process. Moser created another, multi-colored trial proof of this motif in which the emblems of the three arts that surround the female head are tinted red Stencil Print for the Cover Design of the First Founders’ Portfolio of Ver Sacrum with the Emblem of the Secession.

LVD, 2024