Ver Sacrum, magazine of the Union of Austrian Artists, April 1899, 2nd year, no. 4, 1899

For the April issue of the second year of Ver Sacrum in 1899, Koloman Moser (1868–1918) designed a cover showing the face of a girl with stylized hair blowing in the wind. The painter, graphic artist and artisan craftsman greatly influenced the conception and layout of the magazine. Together with Alfred Roller (1864–1935), Friedrich König (1857–1941) and Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867–1908), he was a member of the editorial staff of the publication’s artistic division and created numerous illustrations. These included decorations for book pages, textile designs for the company J. Backhausen & Söhne and illustrations for individual text contributions, including in this issue Der Geist der japanischen Kunst, an article on Japanese art by Ernst Schur (1876–1912), and Knut Hamsun’s (1859–1952) Der Sohn der Sonne, a literary contribution in the form of a novella. The issue also provided insight into the Secession’s fourth exhibition in the form of photographic reproductions. The design of the 32 pages followed the aesthetic idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk (universal work of art).

AK, 2022