The Symbiotic Relationship Between Klimt and the Bourgeoisie for the Development of Artistic Identity (thesis)

Abstract

Fin-de-siècle Vienna was a hotbed of cultural activity with an ethnically diverse population because it was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This turbulent time in history led to the formation of the Vienna Secession, which was supported by members of the Jewish bourgeoisie and led by the painter Gustav Klimt. The artist-patron relationship between Klimt and his benefactors was a` symbiotic partnership that fostered the development of Klimt’s painting style while expressing the cultural and intellectual identities of his patrons, most of whom were bourgeois and Jewish. Gustav Klimt was able to modernize his painting style because of the financial and intellectual support of his wealthy patrons, and I posit that they used Klimt as a vehicle of expression for their economic and cultural power. [From Introduction]