Standing youth 1915

Koloman Moser made this "Standing Youth" using paint to give us a glimpse into his world. Look at how Moser approaches color, it's not about making the figure appear lifelike; instead, it's about building this figure through the act of painting. The yellow ochre tone of the youth's skin creates an interesting contrast with the blue-gray forms on either side of the figure, whatever they are—rocks, drapes, or clouds. Are those pillars? The texture of the paint is also really important here. It's not super thick, but you can see the brushstrokes, especially in the background, which creates a kind of shimmering effect. It makes you think about how the painting was made, layer by layer, decision by decision. There's a flatness to the body, too, as if it’s part of the picture plane itself. In some ways, it recalls the work of someone like Edvard Munch, in the way the figure is flattened and slightly distorted.