Week One Innocence and Imitation: The Early Work
The early works of Gustav Klimt showcase a style that is elegant, sentimental and controlled. Most of these images portray real people (past and present) who are contained, dignified and very civilized. There is an emphasis on innocence. Klimt was the son of a music loving mother, and he was surrounded by chamber music and lieder in his household. Klimt's depiction of Schubert at the Piano nostalgically captures the warm, rosy glow of a winter afternoon's salon. Many of his works include a lyre, symbol of Apollo and the Muses.
As Klimt encountered the writings of Freud and Nietzsche, his work would become a mirror of the dark, subconscious forces of primal drives. Chaos would overtake order and the primal instincts of eros (sex) and tod (death) would come to dominate his works. Rather than the moderation and surface elegance that is a hallmark of Apollonian art, Klimt would become consumed with the pursuit of emotional extremities that represent Dionysian consciousness the topic of Week Two.
Music: Schubert: Litanei, Du Bist Die Ruh Schubert: Moment Musicale No. 6