December - from "Ver Sacrum"

 

Alfred Roller

  1864 - 1935

1901  

metal relief print with gold & black ink 

7 1/2 x 7" image 

initialled in plate, lower left 

not stated 

printed in ink "Dank und Lebewohl, Fur V.S. gezeichnet v. A. Roller OM; December; (p) 24" 

Ver Sacrum, 1901 (published January, 1901) 

cream wove 

published 

Ver Sacrum (publication of the Vienna Secession movement) 

13718 

$200.00 

The Austrian subscription journal Ver Sacrum - meaning "sacred spring" in Latin - was considered the official publication of the Vienna Secession movement. The movement itself was in response to the dominant conservative ideologies of the Kunstlerhaus Genessenschaft and the Akademie de bildende Kunste institutions. The leading arts organization at the time was the Association of Austrian Artists, from which such artists as Gustave Klimt, Peter Behrens, Josef Hoffmann, Josef Olbrich, and Alfred Roller resigned once the revolutionary Art Nouveau movement was in full effect in Europe. In addition to being a leading publication of typography and graphic design, Ver Sacrum included writings and sheet music by those writers and musicians who were also interested in breaking away from the confines of the classical movements. Indeed, even the square format, unusual for its time, was revolutionary. Roller's "December" was published in 1901 for the 1902 calendar year. On the verso of this piece is a gridded calendar of Holy Days in four denominations for the month of November (metalplate printed in black ink). (Learn more about the movement at theviennasecession.com)