Between 1897-1907, although primarily trained as a painter, Kolo Moser (1868–1918) was one of the foremost designers in central Europe. He was first a teacher then a professor at the Vienna School of Applied Arts, holding the latter post until his death. His friend, the architect and designer Josef Hoffmann, designed the Jugendstil house that Moser moved into, and Moser himself designed its furniture.

Koloman Moser (1868–1918), Trout Swimming (1899), design for fabric, watercolour and pencil on paper, 44 x 38 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.

Among the many products which Moser designed were fabrics manufactured by Backhausen, for whom he produced this drawing of Trout Swimming in 1899. This coincided with a phase in Klimt’s work in which fish, air bubbles, and water appeared, for example in his Fish Blood (1898), published in the Secession’s magazine Ver Sacrum, and Mermaids (Silverfish) (c 1899): see this article.

Koloman…

Regardless of political views and personal sentiments many people would openly admit that in terms of their national anthem, the former German Democratic Republic definitely managed to do something right.

Auferstanden aus Ruinen – “Risen from Ruins” – had a gripping melody and an intensely moving text. The song became the official national anthem of the GDR on November 5, 1949.

On that day the new state’s (the GDR itself was born only in October that year) chief executive body, the Council of Ministers of the GDR, announced its decision concerning the choice of the national anthem. With music written by Hanns Eisler (in a record time of three weeks!) and the lyrics by a poet Johannes Robert Becher who later became the East German Minister of Culture, the song was melodious without being too difficult, poignant without being overwhelming and focused on the most burning issue in German politics at the…

The last of my group of great central European artists who died a century ago this year is Egon Schiele (1890–1918), a protégé of Gustav Klimt who was greatly influenced by him, and in his brief life carved a new course in twentieth century art.

There’s a lot of Schiele’s art which I don’t particularly like, and some which I find deeply disturbing. However, he is an important artist, started a very promising career which was tragically cut short, and was so prolific that I hope I can steer a course through his work which is neither unrepresentative nor offensive. I will therefore look broadly across his output, focussing particularly on his landscapes, which I find most interesting.

Egon Leo Adolph Schiele was born on 12 June 1890 in the small town of Tulln an der Donau in Lower Austria. His father worked for the railway company, and the family…