Design for the bill of 50 crowns 1902

Koloman Moser made this design for a 50-crown bill, probably on paper, and it's all in blue, a very particular kind of blue, that makes me wonder what that felt like for him, deciding to make it so monochromatic. The design shows these two sides, the woman on the right, and the more abstract image on the left, united in a single colour. Imagine the decisions he made, the trial and error, the way the image shifts and changes as he worked it out. And then there are these repeated details and ornamental flourishes. I imagine he was thinking a lot about pattern and how it holds everything together. He was part of the Vienna Secession, you know, and this feels like a conversation with other artists, across time, exchanging ideas and inspiring each other. It makes you wonder what it felt like to be alive at this time, and I can imagine him sitting and thinking about this, the design emerging slowly through embodied expression.