Figure study to Mermaid 1914

Koloman Moser made this pencil study, sometime around 1914, as a preparatory sketch for a painting of a mermaid. The process here is all about finding form with subtle variations in tone, it's about slowly coaxing the figure out of the page. Look how he uses these delicate lines to suggest the curves of the body. There's a real softness to the way the light seems to fall across the figure, almost like she's dissolving into the paper. The hand tucked under the head is particularly great, with a beautiful sense of foreshortening. It's these little details that really bring the figure to life. It reminds me a bit of Klimt's drawings, actually. There’s a similar kind of sensuality in the line work, and that focus on capturing the essence of the figure with minimal means. But where Klimt could be quite decorative, Moser feels more grounded, more interested in the pure form. Anyway, it's a beautiful example of how a simple sketch can capture so much feeling.