Leopoldine Steindl-Moser, eine Schwester des Künstlers, nähend 1895

Koloman Moser made this pastel drawing of his sister Leopoldine sewing, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, in Austria. Moser was one of the foremost artists of the Vienna Secession, and the image is full of the kinds of tensions that preoccupied artists at the turn of the century. On the one hand, Leopoldine is shown diligently engaged in domestic labor, sewing. On the other, the painting subtly elevates her status. The soft, hazy, impressionistic treatment of the subject, along with the vase of flowers on the table, lends a sense of dignity to the scene, even evoking the tradition of portraiture. Moser seems to be suggesting that even domestic life is worthy of artistic attention. To understand Moser’s aims better, you might want to research the Secessionist movement and its journal, *Ver Sacrum*, to which he was a frequent contributor. Think about how artists took sides in the debates about academic and modern art.