Ver Sacrum, Magazine of the Union of Austrian Artists, Founders’ Issue, September 1898, 1st Year, No. 9, 1898

The periodical Ver Sacrum (Latin for “holy spring”) was the official medium of the Union of Austrian Artists, published by the Vienna Secession as a journal for art and literature. First issued in 1898, and published for six years until 1903, the magazine is considered the most insightful and sophisticated guide through the Vienna Secession’s early history. The monthly publication’s almost square format was entirely unique, while alternating teams of artists and authors were in charge of the journal’s design. The September number of the publication’s first-year founders’ issue united lead articles by the critic and journalist Franz Servaes (1862–1947) on Artist Lithographs and an essay by the German writer Ricarda Huch (1864–1947) On Modern Poetry and Painting with illustrations by Koloman Moser (1868–1918), Josef Hoffmann (1870–1956), Adolf Hölzl (1853–1934) and Josef Engelhart (1864–1941). In 1899, the publication’s second year, the magazine continued its work to promote and spread new art with a broad spectrum of illustrations and information. In its 1899 April issue, Ernst Schur (1876–1912) published an extensive article entitled The Spirit of Japanese Art. Especially the color woodcuts from this distant Asian country would inspire the design vocabulary of Jugendstil. The journal’s editorial team included Friedrich König (1857–1941), Koloman Moser, Alfred Roller (1864–1935) and the architect Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867–1908).

AK, 2023