Portrait of a woman in profile (section)

Painted around 1910, this portrait shows a woman turned in profile, her gaze fixed on something beyond the canvas. Her dark hair, painted in thick greenish-black waves, falls heavily behind her, framing a face lit up in warm yellow against a pale, sandy background. A few strokes of pink brighten her shoulder. She seems entirely absorbed in her own thoughts, calm and quiet, as though she has no idea anyone is watching her.

The artist, Koloman Moser, helped start the Vienna Secession, a group of Austrian artists who wanted to break free from old traditions and make something new around the turn of the century. Moser made his name as a designer, creating everything from furniture to stained glass, and only turned seriously to painting later in life. That background shows in the bold shapes and the sure, unfussy way he handled color. The small interlocking monogram in the upper corner is his signature, a neat bit of graphic design in itself.

By this point Moser had loosened up, trading his crisp decorative style for freer brushwork and stronger hues. The result is a plain and honest study, a face where the colors and forms carry the whole picture.