Calling themselves the "Secession," they set out not only to revolutionize the visual arts, but all of aesthetic life. By the Secessionists had begun their own periodical, Ver Sacrum "Sacred Spring" , and erected their own exhibition hall, where they showcased their own art and brought international avant-garde art to Vienna. During the early years of the Secession, Klimt's style and philosophical outlook underwent defining change.
A New Style Klimt's talent as a graphic designer was especially evident in the early years of the Secession. He was then eschewing three-dimensional space and developing an increasingly linear and planar mode of representation, inspired by the linearity and raw power of Greek vase painting and Japanese woodcuts. Fish Blood , —98, Gustav Klimt. Brush and black ink, black chalk, heightened with white.
Private collection, courtesy Galerie St. Etienne, New York. Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.
Fish Blood is Klimt's greatest work of graphic design and a seminal artistic statement for him. Its imagery embodies Klimt's metaphysical view of life as endless floating form. Cropped on all four sides, the composition flows diagonally upward, having no beginning or end.
The figures seem ethereal, with their long hair becoming one with their aqueous medium. The subject matter of erotic female nudes floating through water or space would remain a consuming interest for Klimt. The J. Paul Getty Museum. Stylistically, the drawing above is characterized by a soft focus, which reflects Symbolism's influence on Klimt.
