In 1907, Koloman Moser (1868–1918) had fallen out with those leading the Wiener Werkstätte and returned to painting. He was successful in this move, and in 1911 had a one-man retrospective exhibition at Galerie Miethke in Vienna: a gallery which had established itself at the leading edge of modern art. Among the more widely-known painters whose work it exhibited were Honoré Daumier, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso.

Yellow House in Countryside from 1911 demonstrates Moser’s increasingly sketchy style, and his move towards the use of higher chroma.

Portrait of a Woman in Profile from about 1912 puts his model in a similar profile pose to his earlier self-portrait, but this time with her shoulders still square to the viewer. The yellows in her flesh also echo that earlier work.

Chestnut Tree in Blossom from about 1912 tackles a demanding motif, its building deeply foreshortened at the right and with a complex projection in 3D. The roof behind the chestnut flows into an unseen dormer, and the tree itself is finely-crafted.

In about 1912, Moser made another trip out to the mountains closest to Vienna, where he painted this richly-coloured view of The Rax. This was influenced by Hodler’s paintings of the higher Swiss alps from the same period.

The following year, 1913, Moser appears to have been particularly prolific in his painting.

His Young Woman in a Hat from about 1913 uses Moser’s characteristic yellow skin tones.

From the style of Moser’s Female Nude with Blue Towel from about 1913, his figurative painting was inspired by that of Hodler, rather than the more radical drawings and paintings of Egon Schiele.

In his Lovers (c 1913), though, Moser shows himself prepared to tackle themes as controversial as those of Schiele, Klimt and Bonnard.

But in 1913, it was his landscape painting which bore the richest fruit. The Abersee (1913) is a delicate depiction of the western end of the Wolfgangsee, in the Salzkammergut resort area near the Austrian city of Salzburg.

Wolfgangsee With a High Horizon (c 1913) is a view over the placid waters of the main body of the lake, further to the east where it is known as the Wolfgangsee. Moser’s style is distinctive, but his motif drawn from the many views of alpine lakes painted by Hodler.

Moser’s Peak with Coloured Clouds from 1913 shows his strongest influence by Hodler, with its rhythmic clouds.

View of The Rax From Villa Mautner v. Markhof in Evening Light (c 1913) is one of the finest of Moser’s mountain views, which achieves the same timeless and eternal calm as those of Hodler.

Reference

Kolo Moser website.