Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 177: Holy Spring (3)

Chapter 177 Holy Spring (3)

To those who didnt know the situation, it must have looked that way.

So, what happened then?

Even though he successfully established himself in the mainstream art world, Klimt didnt stop there. He gathered like-minded people and formed the Vienna Secession.

I had heard of them as the ones who opened a new path for art.

A man who had achieved great success by catering to the demands of the king and the nobility, but who chose to break free from the solid and comfortable fence.

I admired the courage of him and his colleagues.

I shared the same interest as my grandfather, who said he was curious about the process of how Klimt started his art for himself.

The poster of their first exhibition is interesting, isnt it?

My grandfather showed me the poster of the first exhibition of the Vienna Secession on his smartphone1.

As soon as I saw it, I nodded involuntarily.

It was a poster worthy of decorating the first exhibition of the people who declared to start a new art.

It was a picture based on a myth, and the upper part was probably depicting the Minotaur and Theseus.

In the story, Theseus entered the labyrinth to kill the monster Minotaur of the Cretan kingdom.

To avoid getting lost, Theseus unraveled a thread as he explored the labyrinth. He fought a bloody battle with the Minotaur and finally defeated the monster, becoming a hero2.

I guessed that the reason why he expressed that story on the poster was to compare the existing mainstream art world to the Minotaur and Klimt himself and the Secession to Theseus.

Thats interesting.

Do you want to know more?

Yes. But I wonder why he projected himself onto Theseus.

My grandfather nodded his head as if to encourage me to say more.

I can understand killing a man-eating monster, but the rest of the story is sad, isnt it?

After killing the Minotaur, Theseus tried to return to his homeland Athens with the princess Ariadne who had helped him.

But the god of wine Dionysus intervened and made him leave the princess behind.

Theseus, who lost his love, forgot a promise he made with his father in extreme grief.

He was supposed to hoist a white sail if he came back alive, and a black sail if he died. But his ship returned with a black sail, and his father, who saw it, despaired and threw himself into the sea and died.

Theseus defeated the Minotaur and became a hero, but he lost two people he loved.

He didnt know it, but it ended up similarly unfortunate.

Marso said.

It seemed that Klimts later years were not so smooth.

This shield is also interesting.

Indeed.

The shield held by Athena, the goddess of civilization, who stood on the right side of the poster, caught my eye.

The head attached to the Aegis (a bronze shield given by Zeus to his daughter Athena) was Medusa.

It was different from the other works that expressed the authority of the gods with dignity and holiness.

I could guess what Klimt was thinking when he designed this poster.

He left only the snake-like hair and made the face comical, probably as a challenge and mockery to the existing style.

It was a bit cute.

Did the exhibition go well?

Of course.

The 14th exhibition attracted 58,000 people.

I couldnt believe Marsos explanation.

At that time, when there was no proper transportation or publicity, so many people came to see the works that deviated from the mainstream art.

The current art world may be in a slump, but it was nothing compared to that time.

The population was different.

I didnt know how many people lived in Austria in the 19th century, but the population of France, which had the most people in Europe, was about 38 million.

Considering that there are more than 70 million people living in France now.

And considering that it was not an environment where anyone could enjoy art, but it was limited to the nobility and some bourgeoisie, I could guess how amazing the exhibition of Klimt and the Vienna Secession was.

That 14th exhibition was a tribute to Beethoven.

Ludwig van Beethoven.

I didnt know much about music, but I had listened to some of his songs, including the 9th Symphony, this afternoon.

Even when I was living as Vincent, his fame was so great that not only Vienna, but the whole of Europe admired him.

It was held in 1902, not long after the 20th century began. Doesnt that seem strange?

I wondered what I had missed at my grandfathers question.

Ah.

My grandfather nodded his head as usual, and gave me a chance to say my thoughts first.

They said they broke away from the past artists, didnt they?

Thats right.

Grandfather and Marso had been explaining that Klimt and the Vienna Secession resisted the existing power and art.

But why did they honor Ludwig van Beethoven, who had been active 100 years ago?

Why did they do that?

Because he was the first artist to break away from the power.

And he also broke the classical music style.

Marso answered instead, and grandfather added an explanation.

I knew he was a great person, but I didnt know he was the first musician to be independent from the nobility.

He also received help from patrons for a while, but in the end he sold his scores and made a living by himself with concerts or lectures.

It was a time when all artists had to make what their patrons wanted with them on their backs.

In the long history, the time when artists could exist as artists was not long.

Before that, they were nothing but servants of the church or the nobility.

He was a man who broke that history.

For a moment, I remembered the chorus of his ninth symphony that I heard at lunch.

The epic that started grandly sang of hope at the end of the curve.

As if to welcome the new world he had opened.

Since he proved that an artist could exist as an artist, he was the best inspiration for the Vienna Secession.

He was special.

Marso also joined in.

Klimt said he would do art for himself, not for the powerful or the public.

I nodded.

So did Beethoven. He put who he was and what he wanted to say in his music. And he was the best musician who knew how to deliver it to the public.

The Secession admired Beethovens creativity. It influenced not only music, but all art.

The more I knew, the more amazing he was.

Now it may seem natural to put yourself in your artwork, but it was not so in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Due to the thorough exploitation structure, the public could not afford to buy, and they had to imitate the gods and praise the nobility to survive.

He changed that environment, and how heartwarming that was.

Thats why they ignored the ordinary painters.

Yes?

"In 1909, Klimt visited Paris and his friends asked him what he thought of the latest paintings there."1

By 1909, most of my contemporaries like Toulouse-Lautrec and Gauguin had already passed away.

I wondered what kind of artists were active in the same era as Klimt.

What did he say?

Trash.

Did I hear that wrong?

Trash?

Trash.

I couldnt believe it. Marso was not one to joke.

Maybe he said that because he couldnt paint well, but the works that were exhibited were unlikely to be that bad.

Maybe he just refused to acknowledge the different directions they pursued.

He wasnt completely unimpressed, though. He might have been more disappointed because he remembered seeing that artists work before.

As I was thinking about Gustav Klimt, my grandfather said something unexpected.

He liked his work so much that he even painted some influenced by him.

Who could that arrogant painter have admired so much?

Who was it?

"Vincent van Gogh."2

Why?

My grandfather didnt answer, as he always did.

He said I would naturally understand if I went to Vienna and saw Klimts work for myself. He wanted me to think for myself.

I would meet him tomorrow, so I decided to put my curiosity aside for now.

I guess they had something in common as broken souls.

Henri Marso said as he left the gym.

He must have picked a fight today.

***

Chri Gado prepared a wonderful dinner for us.

He thanked me repeatedly for helping Marso, but I felt embarrassed because I was the one who received the help.

Where did you get that courage? You shouldnt have done that. It was dangerous.

Yes.

How brave you are. How did you raise your grandson so well?

Ha ha. Thank you. I saw Marso again.

My grandfather, who used to be annoyed by the mere mention of Henri Marso, seemed to have a normal conversation with him. Maybe it was because he helped me.

I hoped they wouldnt get any closer, especially after he gave me <Love7>.

Hmm.

I sliced the scallop thinly and put it in my mouth.

The butter aroma spread softly, and the sweet taste of the well-cooked onion matched the chewy texture of the scallop.

The more I chewed, the deeper the flavor became. It was like testing how sensitive a mine could be.

I wanted to enjoy it forever, but it melted and disappeared in my mouth. I felt sorry for it.

I couldnt help reaching for more. I could eat ten plates of this.

Is it good?

Yes. How did you make the scallops so tender?

Usually, scallops are known for their firm and chewy texture, but these were so soft that it was amazing and new.

I scored them with a knife.

They had very fine cuts on them.

They were so delicate that I wouldnt have noticed unless I pressed or looked closely.

He put so much effort into making this plate, I wondered how the other dishes were.

Thank you. Its really delicious.

Eat as much as you want.

It was a wonderful dinner.

After finishing the meal, I went to his studio to see his painting again.

As I drank tea and admired the deep beauty of the lacquer, my grandfather also exclaimed.

Where did you get this?

Arsne, where was it?

It was an island called Geomundo.

Hmm. Wasnt it a natural monument?

There was a place that cultivated it professionally. I bought it from them when they were distributing it as food.

Arsne explained how he got the lacquer tree.

My grandfather couldnt take his eyes off the painting.

I gave up on it. Can I get their contact information?

Of course.

I was curious about what kind of work he usually did, so I looked around his workbench.

There was a pile of papers on one side.

They looked like new papers, but when I picked them up, they were all sketches.

I nodded, seeing how much he worked on his ideas.

Huh?

There was a note on the other side.

It looked old, with some faded and stained parts, but the writing was clear.

How do people see me?

A worthless person, a madman, or maybe an unpleasant person.

A person who will never achieve anything, a bottom-dweller.

Fine. I dont care if they are right. I will show them what a madman, a bottom-dweller has in his heart through my paintings.3

It was part of a letter I sent to Theo once.

It seemed that Marso had copied it.

Even if you dont trust anyone else, you have to trust me!

What was his name? Jrme Kerbier?

I remembered what Marso said to the guy who caused a scene at the Marso Gallery.

Did he comfort himself with this sentence whenever he was having a hard time?

He annoyed me in many ways today, but I decided to forgive him generously.

***

1. Poster for the First Exhibition of the Vienna Secession, Gustav Klimt, 1898, Lithograph
2. As a myth passed down by oral tradition, there are various stories about how the Minotaur was killed. Likewise, the reason why Ariadne parted ways with him is also different depending on the source. I have narrated the story based on the most widely known version.
3. At that time, Vienna tended to avoid exhibiting foreign artworks under the pretext of preserving its own artistic identity. For Klimt, who grew up in such an environment, Paris, which was nothing less than the capital of European art at that time, gave him a great shock. He visited Paris in 1900, when he won a gold medal at the Paris World Exposition with <Philosophy>. He also stopped by Paris in 1909, on his autumn trip, when the last exhibition he planned was held. On the other hand, the story that Klimt criticized the works exhibited in Paris was based on the remarks of Jeon Won-gyeong, an art critic and artist, who lectured on Golden Space, Leaving for Ravenna with Jeon Won-gyeong on Classic Cloud, from 17:19 to 17:28.
4. In 1906, Klimt attended an exhibition of works by Vincent van Gogh in Vienna, and was influenced by his dynamic brushstrokes. Source: Important Klimt Landscape Leads London Impressionist Sale, Sothebys, Feb 10, 2017.

Main text

In 1906, Klimt attended an exhibition of works by Vincent van Gogh in Vienna, and his subsequent appreciation of van Gogh sparked a significant shift in his appreciation of paint. Drawing on this, the dynamic brushwork and vibrancy of Bauerngarten reflect this turning point in Klimts style.

1. A letter sent in July 1882.