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Klimtomaniac
by Eleanor Stables
It must have happened to me countless times. Just walking
into any other college student's bedroom, chances were I'd
find a couple kissing. I found it a bit embarrassing. Then
I went to Vienna and saw this couple everywhere -- it was
like an orgy, and I wasn't sure that I liked it. But I
began to realize that this ever-present happy couple was a
symbol: for life's loves, a love of life, life as art. And
the fact that thousands of people share the enjoyment of
this one particular couple is a testament to the timeless
talent of one man: Gustav Klimt. It's a shared love for a
unique masterpiece and I'm no longer embarrassed that I'm
generic in owning a copy of The Kiss.
When I first went to Austria this summer, I didn't
realize that Klimt was a native. But it didn't take me long
to notice that half of the postcards for sale were of his
various works. There was Klimt-inspired clothing, notepads,
jewelry, chocolate, even a whole store selling his patterns
on shower curtains and wallpaper. I didn't really like the
mass production or utilitarian use of a piece of art -- it
was tacky, or "kitsch," as Austrians say. But at the same
time, it was good to see art being brought to the masses.
Klimt probably would not have wished for his work to be
overused and commercialized, but he did want people to
enjoy art in their daily lives. He was involved with the
Wiener Werkstatte, or Vienna Workshop, and did many works
for the public buildings of the city. The workshop created
pieces of furniture and fabrics, sometimes designing whole
houses inside and out. Of course only the wealthy could
afford such things; the workshop was in the business of
making money. Everyone else could buy the workshop's
postcards or see some works on exhibit. Today Klimt's work
is even more readily vailable.
Klimt's original works can be seen in several of the
museums that crowd the compact city. One of these is the
Secession, founded in 1898 in reaction to Austria's
isolated and conservative art world. For its centennial,
the museum commissioned artist Markus Geiger, who works in
Vienna, to paint something in commemoration. Geiger
attempted to show that the museum was as alive and
different as ever and painted the previously white museum
red. The reaction showed that the museum's old enemy
Conservatism was still present. The State Monuments Office
and citizens complained that such an act violated rules for
protection of historic sites. They didn't seem to notice the
Secession's motto "To every age its art, to art its
freedom," printed on the building. While the argument
continued, the Secession remained red for five months. A
compromise was reached when it was decided that the museum
needed a thorough repainting; the red paint could come off
then. The conservative reaction showed that the museum
still makes its statement, whatever color it's painted.
The Secession still serves its founders' original purpose,
exhibiting only modern art in its workspace. The one
exception is Klimt's Beethoven Frieze, a portrayal of the
emotional significance of Beethoven's music and art in
general. The work also serves to illustrate various aspects
of the artist's style and character. Painted on concrete,
the Frieze was intended only for temporary use in an
exhibition. Klimt planned for it to be destroyed
afterwards. Often careless with his works, he was known to
leave his drawings lying around the studio, regardless of
his cats' tendency to pee on them.
The Beethoven Frieze and The Kiss are characteristic of
Klimt's "Golden Period," rich in eroticism and decoration.
The two-dimensional patterns, various spiralling or
circular shapes, and use of bright colors, particularly
gold, are also elements of the artist's work. The Frieze is
one of many allegorical paintings Klimt created. Its last
panel features an embracing couple, very similar to the one
in The Kiss. Both works embody Klimt's belief in the
transforming power not only of sexual love but also of art.
This sexual quality of his work is very prevalent; his work
was often too erotic to be received favorably in his time.
Even today some of his nude drawings are excluded from
books.
The biggest collection of Klimt's work is in the Belvedere
Museum, in the ornate rooms of the Habsburg palace. It is a
representative sample of his decorative allegories, subtly
erotic portaits and richly patterned landscapes. Dr.
Gerbert Frodl is the Director of the Museum and believes
there are a variety of reasons for Klimt's popularity among
the younger generation: "There is some eroticism in this
painting which mainly the younger generation appreciates.
The lovers are in an ornamental composition which people
like very much. It's the special role of women ... you know
he almost never painted men."
In fact, Klimt enjoyed the female body so much that he
would always keep a few naked models around him in the
studio, for inspiration if not for the particular painting
he was working on. But the younger generation wants more
from art than eroticism, and The Kiss is not as sexual as
some of Klimt's other works.
"It doesn't show this eroticism," says Frodl, "it's a
little bit hidden. It's sophisticated. The man and the
women are not naked, they even don't show their faces. You
can have your own dreams with these paintings."
Whether the public enjoys the painting simply for its
sexual nature or for other more complex qualities, it is
very popular. But Dr. Frodl does not enjoy seeing The Kiss
all over Vienna: "We make a lot of money on it. On the
other hand, of course, I don't like seeing it everywhere."
Even while such a work is very popular and omnipresent,
critics argue that Klimt never had any long-lasting
influence on art. But Dr. Frodl does not believe this
detracts from his reputation. "He had no influence because
he was unique, he never was a teacher. He had a lot of
admirers, but he never had a pupil. So he has no follower."
He suggested that Klimt is loved so much for the reason that
"there are no followers, no painters who tried to copy him."
Klimt had acheived the apex of his certain style of art.
Other artists chose another style, perhaps doubting they
could better him; more likely, they knew that other
directions in art would be longer-lasting. "It's a special
sort of painting ... this proliferation of ornament died
around 1910 or a little bit later," Dr. Frodl said.
Klimt's work was unique, but not completely isolated from
other trends during his time. "The landscapes are paintings
which I think were connected with international art. They
can be compared with some late Impressionist landscapes and
with pointillistic landscapes. But his portraits, especially
The Kiss, can't be compared with other paintings." Dr. Frodl
does not view Klimt's uniqueness as a result of isolation
from the artworld. He chose not to be influenced by his
contemporaries, but rather to incorporate more ancient
Japanese, Byzantine, and Egyptian styles, in a modern and
unique way.
When asked to speculate whether Klimt might have changed
his style had he lived longer, Dr. Frodl admits, "I think
he would have changed. There are some later paintings where
you can see it -- he began to use brighter colors and not so
much ornament ... I'm sure he would have lost some of his
power. Maybe, [he] could be, I don't know, a very nice
expressionist painter." But Dr. Frodl hesitated to
theorize. "One should not think about these things. He
might have followed the trends a bit more."
Dr. Frodl knows one thing for sure: "[Klimt] is one of the
great artists. He is not the greatest, but he is a very
special artist. Because so many people come to see his
paintings, he must be one of the greatest." His work is as
popular as ever: tourists flock to see his works, stores
stock his stuff, and students pin up his posters. Gustav
Klimt created curves and colors that can still arouse an
observer's senses, artistic and otherwise.
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