The Left Atrium

Lifeworks Symbol and surface

his year’s summer blockbuster of- This summer in Ottawa, the alluring sides of city buses and appears in fully T fering from the National Gallery red-haired woman Klimt portrays in naked, pregnant splendour in newspa- of Canada is : Modernism in Hope I levels her frank gaze from the per and magazine advertisements. Evi- the Making. Organized exclusively by dently (and pardoning the pun), the the gallery, the show is the first com- hope would be that Hope I will entice prehensive North American retrospec- visitors out of the sun and into the tive of the work of the Austrian artist gallery. This reviewer had the addi- who lived from 1862 to 1918 and was tional hope that the show would the most renowned member of the fin- provide some deeper insights into de-siècle Art Nouveau movement Klimt’s art. known as the Viennese Secession. The Despite the advertising frenzy sur- exhibition of 36 paintings and 90 draw- rounding the show, Gustav Klimt: Mod- ings reunites some the artist’s best- ernism in the Making is a serious attempt known works, including the National at a scholarly assessment of the impor- Gallery’s own Hope I (1903) and its tance of the artist’s work. More than golden successor Hope II (1907–08), three years in the making, the exhibition with many lesser-known ones, such as a is an ambitious undertaking for the Na- set of landscapes Klimt executed during tional Gallery that, in the end, is not en- summer holidays on Lake Attersee and tirely successful. Although it affirms a selection of remarkably graphic erotic Klimt’s extraordinary abilities, it isn’t drawings. entirely convincing in its presentation of Klimt’s most familiar paintings com- the motives and meaning in his work. bine naturalistic depictions of beautiful, Indisputably, the artist’s hand daz- mostly naked women with ornately pat- zles. Klimt revels in his exploration of terned and shimmering gold spaces. the possibilities of paint. His earlier His highly decorative, aesthetically ap- Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, City, Japan paintings are rendered with the Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Eugena Pri- pealing work is frequently reproduced mavesi, 1913–1914. Oil on canvas, smooth, glass-like surfaces characteris- on posters, placemats, coffee mugs, 140 cm × 85 cm. tic of Academic painting; later ones greeting cards and other ephemera. are textured with loose, Impressionist

CMAJ • SEPT. 4, 2001; 165 (5) 617 De l’oreille gauche

brushwork. The landscapes are their symbolic meaning. However, the uniquely executed in the more con- highly decorative nature of the work it- trolled Pointillist style of the French self constantly undermines the impact painter Seurat. Drawings such as Em- of its deeper meaning. Even contempo- bracing Couple (1901–02) are further ev- rary critics remarked on “the conflict idence of his outstanding draughtsman- between Klimt’s luxuriant manner — ship. Klimt’s ability to render three- with its emphasis on surface and sheen dimensional forms with an economy of — and the intended profundity of his line recalls the work of Ingres, who was allegories.”1 This conflict continues to celebrated for his drawing ability in be debated and is by no means resolved early 19th-century France. Clearly, in the current exhibition. Klimt’s innate talent and his training at Another barrier to understanding the Kunstgewerbeschule (the school of Klimt’s work is the decision by the applied arts in Vienna) between 1876 show’s organizers to present the works and 1883 provided him with the means with minimal contextual information. to produce work of outstanding quality The impetus for this comes from and earned him many commissions and Klimt’s own statement, reproduced at patrons. the entrance to the show, that “whoever Although Klimt’s technical virtuos- wants to know something about me as ity is undeniable, it is difficult to come an artist — and that is the only thing to terms with the depth of meaning in that matters — must look attentively at his art. Heavily influenced by late 19th- my paintings and try to glean from century Symbolism, Klimt makes alle- them who I am and what I want.” gorical content an integral component Unfortunately, restricting the scope of his work. In Hope I, “” and of the exhibition to information that is three grotesque heads represent the ug- present in the work itself leads to little liness in the world, while “Hope” and understanding of how Klimt’s art relates “Beauty” are found only within the to that of his peers, especially those in- pregnant woman. In keeping with the volved with the Viennese Secession, and artist’s intentions, the paintings must be how it was perceived by his audiences. interpreted with a consideration of For example, even though the show al- ludes to controversies regarding the public acceptance of Klimt’s work (such as those associated with the exhibition of Hope I), it doesn’t provide enough

background information to convey a National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa clear sense of the controversy. In the Gustav Klimt, Hope I, 1903. Oil on canvas, 189.2 cm × 67 cm. same vein, it is hard to grasp the extent to which Klimt’s work was considered controversial, given that most of the the same gallery workers who had paintings included in the exhibition, planned and assembled the show. Now such as Portrait of Eugenia Primavesi that these issues have been resolved, the (1913–1914), were in fact commissioned biggest controversy at this point is not by an enthusiastic and wealthy circle of at all about the art of Gustav Klimt, but Klimt supporters. In the end, the failure about the final number of visitors to the to deal with the questions surrounding exhibition and the impact the negative the contradictions between surface and publicity has had on the National depth in Klimt’s work and those regard- Gallery’s desire for another successful ing its public reception results in a summer blockbuster. somewhat unsatisfying experience for the gallery visitor. Vivian Tors Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, Austria Ironically, the greatest controversies Ottawa, Ont. Gustav Klimt, Embracing couple, have surrounded the show itself — 1901–1902. Study for the Beethoven those generated by questions of possi- Reference Frieze, Fourteenth Secession, 1902. 1. Braun E. “Klimtomania/Klimtophobia.” In: Bai- Black crayon, 45.0 cm × 30.8 cm. ble Nazi connections with some of the ley C, editor. Gustav Klimt: modernism in the mak- works, and by a long, bitter strike by ing. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada; 2001.

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