| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | Austrian |
| Date | 1905 |
| Object type | painting |
| Medium, technique | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 100 × 100 cm |
| Inventory number | 83.69.B |
| Collection | Department of Art after 1800 |
| On view | This artwork is not on display |
In 1897 Moll took part in the establishment of the Secession in Vienna, of which he was President in 1900–1901. He belonged to the circle of friends which formed around Gustav Klimt and which gave the hard core and the spiritual leadership of Secession. As a member of this group of radical experimenters he took an active part in the propagation of the Art Nouveau style, as well as in the establishment of the sovereign institutions of fine art in the conservative Imperial City, Vienna.
The balanced harmony and the lyrical athmosphere of the tonality of this painting, together with the artist’s decision to free himself from the bondage of plein-air Naturalism, were due to the influence of his Academy master, Jacob Emil Schindler. At the same time, the tight balance of the composition and the strict internal order indicates the triumph of the aesthetic principles of the revolutionary Viennese architecture. Moll’s genuinely simple landscapes usually have a peculiar, magical touch – in part due to the carefully thought-out composition and the muffled glow of the bright white colours.
Ferenc Tóth
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
