Observatory

In a career of just 16 years, Linz-based artist Klemens Brosch produced one thousand drawings, watercolors, prints, and paintings. Alongside Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Alfred Kubin, and Oskar Kokoschka, Brosch was one of Austria's greatest draftsmen. His fantastical work is timeless and existential, anticipating aspects of New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) and Surrealism.

Brosch's career began in 1913, when he co-founded the Linz artist association MAERZ. But his short life (he died when he was 32 years old) was full of suffering: he developed a lung disease early on, and after he was deeply traumatized by his deployment in the First World War, he had to contend with a fundamentally altered art world. The end of the era of decadence also marked the end of art as a decorative, healing force; the war left behind hideous impressions, and the major commissions artists had enjoyed only a few years before were now a thing of the past. Dark subjects, including the mass killings of the First World War and visions of mortality and death, feature early on in his work. Solitary landscapes, horrifying war scenes, and dystopian worldviews became central themes throughout his art. Among his rare color paintings is Observatory, which reveals his profound fascination with the unknown universe: several figures, so small they are barely recognizable against the vast backdrop of the star-filled sky, move away from an observatory toward the infinite expanses of the cosmos.

The war years left a lasting impact on both his work and his mental health, and he struggled with these experiences for the rest of his life. Addiction to morphine and cocaine, and the harsh treatments used to combat it, came to dominate his final years. In December 1926, he tragically took his own life. 

P.S. If you're fascinated by Austrian art from the era of Klimt, Schiele, and their successors, take a look at our Vienna Secession Undated Weekly Planner. It's perfect to start planning your days at anytime and brings a little of this extraordinary artistic tradition into your everyday life.  :)

P.P.S. Today's painting looks almost as if it was a scene from a Hollywood sci-fi movie! Meet the artist who shaped the Star Wars universe!