The Rax 1912

Koloman Moser made this painting, 'The Rax', using oil on canvas. It's a riot of color, a landscape not quite like any you've seen! Check out how he’s laid the paint on thick, especially in the foreground. It's like he's sculpting the land itself. The strokes aren't trying to hide, each one is a confident move. Then there’s the light, that rosy, almost dreamlike sky. The mountain itself, is a patchwork of earth tones, punctuated with surprising bursts of color. Look at that touch of mauve in the lower right. Moser's got a real decorative sense. He's playing with the edges of representation, pushing it toward something more emotional, more felt. It reminds me a little of the Fauves, those wild beasts of color. But Moser keeps it grounded, a balance between seeing and feeling, a mountain that's both real and a figment of our imagination. Art's like that, an ongoing conversation, isn't it?