This volume presents for the first time the fundamental artistic circumstances from 1900 onward that led to the emergence of nonobjective art. For example, on the surface there are no obvious connections between the Formkunst (art of form) of Vienna and the Cubism of Prague, since each found its own characteristic form in a slightly different period. Nevertheless, on closer inspection commonalities are revealed on which this volume sheds light and, by making reference to contemporaneous education and pedagogy, locates them within the backdrop of the history of ideas.

The individual artists, such as František Kupka, and particular movements, such as the Viennese Secession, Prague Cubism, and Viennese Kineticism, can be reinterpreted based on these observations that reveal the connections between the art and artists of the monarchy on the Danube.