At the turn of the 20th century, Austrian society was in a state of turbulent change. A culture of prudishness and moral rectitude was collapsing and a new order was being born. The art world saw a clash between the bland, rigid establishment style and the emerging power, eroticism, and symbolism of works by the Vienna Secession—a group, cofounded by Gustav Klimt, that broke with the rulebound Vienna Academy and organized its own exhibitions. Thus in 1899 one of Klimt’s paintings was called “the most beautiful picture ever painted by an Austrian,” while a year later Klimt was excoriated for his new style. The paintings we now see as graceful, quietly sensual, and profoundly appreciative of their subjects were positively frightening to the Austrian sensibility in the early 20th century.
This notecard collection contains five each of the following four portraits:
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II, 1912
Portrait of Hermine Gallia, 1904
Portrait of Johanna Staude, 1917-1918
Portrait of Emilie Floge, 1902
20 assorted blank notecards (5 each of 4 designs) with soft white envelopes in a decorative box.
Card Dimensions: 5" x 7"
