Gustav Klimt and the Secession

At the turn of the century, there was a huge shake-up in the art world. Across Europe, artists were rejecting the traditional associations to which they belonged. They started forming clubs, which were usually called "secessions" (akin to a faction in politics) in Germany and Austria, where they implemented their own modern ideas about art.

In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, the first Secession exhibition was a great success. Emperor Franz Joseph visited the show personally on April 6 and was ceremoniously greeted by the President, Klimt, and the rest of the members. 

It was an exciting time for all involved; they could finally unleash their creativity. So much so, that Joseph Maria Olbrich constructed a new meeting and exhibition building especially for the Secession in 1898. It was situated in the heart of Vienna, near to Karlsplatz and the Academy of Fine Arts.

Its whole construction signalled innovation and regeneration. In a surprisingly ornate fashion, the compact, white building, which was reminiscent of a temple at first glance, was crowned by a large dome of golden laurel leaves.

The building was opened for the second Secession exhibition in the fall of 1898. During this time, Gustav Klimt had been working on the association's public image. Along with six other paintings at the show, he exhibited an allegory of Pallas Athene, patron goddess of art, who was meant to symbolize the fight for artistic freedom.

The goddess acted as a battle cry for the young modernists against the traditional art establishment. Conservative art critics launched vehement verbal attacks against the picture. Klimt used her as a trademark image of the Secession and created, for instance, an "ex libris" (stamp of ownership) featuring the goddess for books belonging to the Secession. This meant that she could be used as a kind of logo.

In addition to the building, slogan, and Pallas Athene mascot, the artists also worked on their own magazine, for which Klimt created a number of decorative and illustrative drawings. The "Ver Sacrum" was published in limited edition so that it, too, should become a work of art. It was first published in 1898 but was shut down five years later due to it being too time-consuming and expensive to produce.

Klimt also used the subsequent Secession exhibitions to showcase his works in a public arena. Each time, he managed to draw yet more press attention to himself and to the Secession. There were usually one or two of his pieces that sparked debate and polarized discussions.

Often, the debates surrounded illustrations of women, which were perceived to be improper, such as the naked, frontal illustration of "Nuda Veritas" and the equally lightly dressed "Judith," which were described as either erotic or completely obscene.

The Secession era was perceived as one of radical change and described as a "holy spring." This attracted artists such as the French Impressionists, Auguste Rodin, and the Belgian Symbolists. In total, the Secession staged 23 exhibitions between 1897 and 1905. Klimt also used the Secession for his first and only solo Viennese exhibition during his lifetime, which took place during the winter of 1903–04. 

In June 1905, some personal disputes arose, as well as differences in opinion about the role of arts and crafts within the Secession, and the role of the Secession as a commercial enterprise. This was primarily due to Klimt's friend and colleague, Carl Moll, taking the job of Artistic Director at one of the leading galleries in the city, the Miethke Art Gallery.

Arts and crafts is defined as the production of utensils with artistic pretensions. The products were manufactured on a large scale, then usually passed on to independent workshops or artists. How artistic these objects were after going through such an outsourced production process is a question which, at the time, had already concerned the art world for many centuries.

As a result, Klimt and 17 other artists, including Josef Hoffmann, Otto Wagner, Carl Moll, and Alfred Roller, terminated their membership of the Secession. From that point on, they made appearances as the "Klimt Group," and in 1908, they collectively orchestrated the "Kunstschau" (Art Show), a ground-breaking spectacle of Viennese Modernism.