Description
An engaging look at how the middle classes of fin-de-siecleVienna used innovative portraiture to define their identity
During the great flourishing of modern art in fin-de-siecleVienna, artists of that city focused on images of individuals. Their portraits depict artists, patrons, families, friends, intellectual allies, and society celebrities from the upwardly mobile middle classes. Viewed as a whole, the images allow us to reconstruct the subjects' shifting identities as the Austro-Hungarian Empire underwent dramatic political changes, from the 1867 Ausgleich (Compromise) to the end of World War I. This is viewed as a time when the avant-garde overthrew the academy, yet Facing the Modern tells a more complex story of the time through thought-provoking texts by numerous leading art historians. Their writings examine paintings by innovative artists such as Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele alongside earlier works, blurring the conventionally-held distinctions between 19th-century and early-20th-century art, and revealing surprising continuities in the production and consumption of portraits. This compelling book features works not only by famous names but also by lesser-known female and Jewish artists, giving a more complete picture of the time.
Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
About the Author
Book Information
ISBN 9781857095616
Author Gemma Blackshaw
Format Hardback
Page Count 216
Imprint National Gallery Company Ltd
Publisher National Gallery Company Ltd
Weight(grams) 1361g
During the great flourishing of modern art in fin-de-siecleVienna, artists of that city focused on images of individuals. Their portraits depict artists, patrons, families, friends, intellectual allies, and society celebrities from the upwardly mobile middle classes. Viewed as a whole, the images allow us to reconstruct the subjects' shifting identities as the Austro-Hungarian Empire underwent dramatic political changes, from the 1867 Ausgleich (Compromise) to the end of World War I. This is viewed as a time when the avant-garde overthrew the academy, yet Facing the Modern tells a more complex story of the time through thought-provoking texts by numerous leading art historians. Their writings examine paintings by innovative artists such as Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele alongside earlier works, blurring the conventionally-held distinctions between 19th-century and early-20th-century art, and revealing surprising continuities in the production and consumption of portraits. This compelling book features works not only by famous names but also by lesser-known female and Jewish artists, giving a more complete picture of the time.
Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition Schedule:
The National Gallery, London
(10/09/13-01/12/14)
About the Author
Gemma Blackshaw is associate professor of history of art and visual culture at Plymouth University.
Book Information
ISBN 9781857095616
Author Gemma Blackshaw
Format Hardback
Page Count 216
Imprint National Gallery Company Ltd
Publisher National Gallery Company Ltd
Weight(grams) 1361g
