Venus in the Grotto

This radiant goddess of love is framed by an oval, symbolizing a grotto. Her depiction is reminiscent of personifications of the wind and sea that were typically engraved onto ancient Roman sarcophagi. Although Koloman Moser had completed a degree in painting at the Vienna Academy, it was not until he left the Wiener Werkstätte in 1907 that he first committed himself to the medium. This was not just a change in artistic discipline; in fact, the artist saw his turn to painting as a calling that he had to follow single-mindedly. His writings about matters of composition and color relationships bore witness to his untiring quest for clear pictorial expression. In 1904, Koloman Moser organized a major exhibition at the Vienna Secession for Ferdinand Hodler. It was a show that played a fundamental part in Hodler’s rise to international fame. Later, in 1907, Moser made an intensive study of Hodler’s art, which soon would be reflected in his painting style. He found his own approach to color using unrealistic tonal values, and thereby conjured his own interesting harmonies. In addition, he used various structures in the different sections of the image, which enabled a softening of the strict formal composition.