Lot 94 Dα

“Viennese Modernism's establishment as an international player in the […] art world was made possible through its platform, the Secession. […] Long before their spectacular premiere featuring 354 works, Carl Moll was already watching […] the contemporary scene in Paris. There post-impressionist tendencies like neo-impressionism and pointillism stirred Moll's interest in a visualisation of the objective world through the reflection of perceptions of light and colour. The optical impression's role as the basis of his art remained a constant until his late work” (Cornelia Cabuk, Carl Moll, Monografie und Werkverzeichnis, Vienna 2020, p. 31). In the 1890s Carl Moll's work was defined by cityscapes and landscapes; his interest in images of interiors increased and, at the Secession's fourth exhibition, in 1899, he presented new interiors. Dining rooms where the main focus is on the splendidly laid tables with precious porcelain, glasses and silver - which positively demand a nuanced composition of light - set new standards. “His circle of collectors identified with this iconography [featuring interiors of dining rooms, etc.] of a 'nostalgia directed towards the future'” (ibid.).
“Bauernhof im Marchfeld”, a narrowly defined detail of a farmstead ensemble, is not unlike an interior scene in its architectonic composition. Its peculiar intimacy is able to draw viewers under its spell with a warm gesture. The choreography of the light and the strong contrasts of value within complementary colour schemes also speak equally to the senses of vision and smell. The smooth plumage of the ducks on the cool grass under the shady canopy of leaves stimulates tactile sensations; we seem to perceive the haystack with its specific scent. This rustic scene conveys the image of a green oasis in the shimmering heat of a summer day, and it is typical of the sensually composed landscapes with an air of mystery created around the turn of the century.