Holy Spirit Church in Düsseldorf, design for the left side wall with a baptistery 1907

Koloman Moser designed this watercolour and gouache on paper in a graphic style, perhaps for a competition. Imagine Moser at work, drafting a site of contemplation. What might he have been thinking as he worked through the rhythmic repetition of arches and figures? The use of watercolour gives it a translucent, ethereal quality. It's as if the space is not fixed, but open to the light, to the divine. Notice the spiralling motifs, a signature of the Wiener Werkstätte, set against the flat planes of colour. Each gesture seems carefully planned, yet the overall effect is one of serene, meditative beauty. I wonder, was he thinking of Klimt, another Viennese artist who so beautifully decorated walls? Moser’s design feels like a conversation with the past and a reaching towards the future. These artists are in constant dialogue, aren't they? It shows us that painting can be more than representation, it can be an invitation into the unknown.