Der Wanderer

The Wayfarer is a companion piece to Venus in the Grotto and is on the same scale. The Wayfarer striding relentlessly onwards was a motif that Moser often used. The fact that the artist titled one version of this painting Wotan sheds some light on the picture’s content. This restless god needs only a staff, and neither place nor light source hold any significance in this timeless depiction. The two flanking pine trunks and the lightly outlined curve of a mountain at the top of the picture correspond with the slight incline of the ground. Yellow reflections of light on the ochre body emphasise the athletic anatomy and the blue silhouette of the figure, and make it stand out as a sculptural form against the light background. In this picture Moser emphasised a self-contained form in outline, colour and structure, and handled them brilliantly.