a primed canvas

The Secession Pavillion, designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich for the second Secession exhibition in Vienna, 1898.

'In the provocative blankness of its wall (cheaply plastered, whitewashed and sealed), Olbrich's pavilion announced itself as a primed canvas standing at the start of a new era of creativity, the results of which could not be predetermined. In this respect, it was a compelling illustration of the motto . . . that appeared above its entrance: 'Der Zeit ihre Kunst, der Kunst ihre Freiheit' ('To the Age its Art, to Art its Freedom').'

'Elizabeth Clegg, Art, Design and Architecture in Central Europe 1890-1920, 2006.