Draft for Vignettes for Ver Sacrum, c. 1898

Ver Sacrum, the magazine of the Vienna Secession, served not only the declaration of programmatic principles and the spreading of information and reviews in the fields of national and international arts and culture. While the magazine published works by contemporary authors, it is primarily its graphics that make it a universal work of art – and Koloman Moser (1868–1918) played a large part in this development. Moser’s many decorative illustrations for Ver Sacrum include initials, ornamental borders and marginal decorations as well as vignettes. This ornamental design shows six round vignettes with linear nature motifs. In fine strokes, the artist draws floral, organic, mostly vegetable shapes, such as curved leaves and blades of grass. The main emphasis in these ornaments is on movement, on growing and sprouting, since this enables the artist to choose round, graphic shapes that correspond to the aesthetic norms of the time. Moser’s sketches show his efforts to transpose the characteristic appearance of flowers and leaves into linear and planar motifs that could easily be integrated into homogeneous designs, as seen for instance in the works Illustration for a Poem by Arno Holz or Iris, Illustration for a Poem by Arno Holz, Original Design Drawing for Ver Sacrum.

LScr, 2024