History discussion questions

The Vienna Secession-2

THE VIENNA SECESSION

The city of Vienna during the fin de siècle was burs8ng with avant-garde crea8vity. Vienna became the center of a new culture of taste especially in the industrial arts. In addi8on to being a center of art and culture Vienna was also the home of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) who is considered the father of modern psychoanalysis. Freud’s explora8ons of the human mind greatly affected ar8sts and designers of his 8me, and later. The impact Freud had on the field of psychology is endless. In turn, his theories opened up possibili8es for ar8sts and designers to incorporate the world of emo8ons, dreams, and imagina8on into their crea8ons. Emo8ons and experiences were the subjects of many crea8ng in Vienna at the turn of the century. These crea8ons were startlingly new and modern.

Ar8sts that included Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, and Josef Maria Olbrich founded the Vienna Secession in 1897. This group objected to the tradi8onal focus that art and design had towards historicism (looking to history for inspira8on). This focus was formally supported by the Vienna Kunstlerhaus (Art Academy), the official art academy. The members of the Secession hoped to create a new style with no overt historical references. They rebelled

against the academic tradi8on that favored historically founded examples. The Secession also aimed at having group art shows that were open to anyone. The Secession adver8sed their shows with startling modern works of graphic design (Figure 1) featuring geometric forms and bold typography. The seduc8ve and mysterious rendering of the female form was also used. This was synonymous with the interests of Art Nouveau ar8sts and designers in France such as Mucha and Toulouse-Lautrec. In fact, the Secession (as they are also known) is responsible for ini8a8ng a flourishing graphic design movement in Vienna. Their primary medium was lithography.

In many ways, the Secession fostered a new a\tude in the arts that reflected the new atmosphere of modernity that was sweeping across Europe. The goal of the Secession was the idea of gesamtkunstwerk, or the total work of art. By using the technical knowledge of newly developed materials and processes the objects created by the members of the Secession were to capture the crea8vity and opulence of fin de siècle Vienna.

The first Secession exhibi8on was held in 1898 in the newly constructed Secession Building by Olbrich (Figure 2). The poster created by Moser to announce the event is pictured on page 134 of the textbook. Both the Secession Building and the poster depict clean, geometric forms that are indica8ve of the Secession's work. The Secession Building was known as a “temple to art”. The structure of the Secession Building is geometric and block-like; yet, it features exquisite decora8ve details both inside and outside. The buildings unbroken surfaces highlight the strict

cubic form that is seen. To the led of the entrance are the words “Ver Sacrum” in gold. Meaning “Sacred Spring” this was also the 8tle to the influen8al magazine published by the Secession that further highlighted their goals in graphic design and the arts (see above). The magazine was published twice a year and featured crea8ons from all areas of the arts. Thus, furthering the Secession goal of crea8ng a gesamtkunstwerk. A fine example of the ar8stry this magazine possessed is seen in the 1899 cover by Moser (Figure 2).

Above the entrance to the Secession Building is the phrase “Die Ziet ihre kunst, Die kunst ihre Freiheit.” Translated to English the phrase reads, “To every 8me its art, to every art its 8me.” Crowning the building is a dome featuring 3,000 gilded laurel leafs (Figure 3). The laurel is an ancient symbol of victory, dignity, and peace. The use of the laurel dates back to the Greeks who would crown those who were esteemed with laurel wreaths. In fact, other symbolic references are made to the ancient Greeks in the forms of gorgons and owls – symbols associated with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The members of the Secession were known to pull inspira8on from the design vocabulary of the Greeks. The Secession Building supports this.

Gustav Klimt was named the first president of the Secession. Klimt was a prolific painter and designer. Images of the female dominate his work especially the ero8c and seduc8ve femme fatale. Once again, his subject maker is aligned with other representa8ons of women in art and design of the 8me. Klimt's decadent, opulent, and sensuous images capture the spirit of Vienna at the turn of the century. One such image is The Kiss (Figure 4). The composi8on features a female who is engulfed by the man on the led side of the pain8ng. The mosaic-like placement of oil, gold, and silver paint creates an elaborately decora8ve surface. In addi8on to his pain8ngs, Klimt also experimented in tex8le and fashion design (as you will see).

Take a look at this video for more informa8on on The Kiss. Note: some art historians link Klimt's work with another art movement that flourished at the turn of the century called, Symbolism. I do not agree with narrators pronuncia8on of the term, Art Nouveau:

hkps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBOBpOOxI5E (Links to an external site.)

This focus on ornament was the primary concern for a collabora8ve of ar8sts who developed in tandem with the Secession known as the Wiener Werkstäke (Vienna Workshops). This group emphasized originality in their high-quality and expensive designs. They created objects that unified art and industry. The focus of the Wiener Werkstäke was to heighten the design of everyday objects and to produce objects of high-quality cradsmanship. Members of the Wiener Werkstäke included Klimt, Hoffmann, and Moser. In 1903, they were joined by others who produced objects in the most advanced style. Among the objects produced were tex8les (Figure 5) and furniture (Figure 6). The tex8le in Figure 5 is credit to Klimt; however, verifica8on cannot be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collec8on. Credit to the Wiener Werkstäke as a group seems appropriate. The object in Figure 2 is the result of a collabora8on between Moser and Hoffmann in 1903. It is in the collec8on of the Met. No8ce the emphasis on geometric form and the color paleke of black and white (similar to a checkerboard pakern). These characteris8cs set the designs of Vienna apart from those in France and Belgium.

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7.

The Lady's Wri8ng Desk in Figure 7 features veneers and inlays in various woods to create the geometric ornamenta8on. Further discussion of this object is on page 134 of your textbook. The image shown on page 134 features the back of the matching chair that is pushed into the blank space in the front of the desk shown above. In addi8on to furniture and tex8les, the Wiener Werkstäke designed objects in metal, glass, ceramics, and jewelry. The last design I would like to share with you is a Brooch shown in Figure 8. This exquisite piece of jewelry was designed using silver, coral, lapis lazuli, malachite, and moonstones. It is interes8ng to do a side by side comparison of objects designed by the Wiener Werkstäke to see the con8nuity of design across different mediums. All feature an emphasis on geometric form combined with organic ornamenta8on and emphasis on sparkling decora8ve effects.

Figure 8