Futuristic Forms: Klimt and Kokoschka

Since I took my last column to look back at the Goya exhibition, this week I chose the Klimt and Kokoschka works that are currently on view at the MFA.

Diverging from the darkness which characterizes Goya’s work, a permeation of light defines Klimt’s manner of creation. Klimt creates a fantasy world complete with speckled geometric landscapes and patchwork romantic scenes. Melding realistic elements with illusionistic characteristics, Klimt pioneers his own radical style. Embracing vibrant and metallic hues, Klimt shirks the notion that darkness is required to elicit emotion. Instead, his gilded scenes foreshadow the future, while retaining elements of the past. He depicts lost and forbidden love as well as desolate landscapes that are rife with passion.

Seemingly futuristic, Klimt’s eerie geometric composition of the human body and natural forms speak of the disjointed present. Pioneering the Vienna Secession in the early 20th century, Klimt spearheaded a group of progressive artists. Distancing himself from the state-sponsored salons, he independently exhibited his work, which was not particularly well received in the context of conservative Vienna. However, his work garnered an international reputation and has since been celebrated for its expressive, experimental nature.

A younger colleague and artist whom Klimt worked with from afar was Oskar Kokoschka. Fascinated by similar subjects -- such as the femme fatale -- Klimt and Kokoschka fixate on the themes of lovers and love and the erotic obsession of the human body.

The MFA juxtaposes works by these two artists in its post-impressionist room: The Charlotte F. and Irving W. Rabb Gallery (Gallery 155). Klimt’s "Adam and Eve"(1917-1918), the visiting masterpiece in the MFA’s collection, is on loan from the Belvedere Museum in Vienna. This loan provides a rare opportunity to view a Klimt masterpiece in an environment that compares and contrasts the work to those crafted by the artist’s contemporaries. The museum positions the works so that the Kokoschka and the Klimt are engaging in an active dialogue with each other as well as with the viewer. One should view the room in its entirety before gravitating towards the visiting works.

Even though the works are thematically united, the manner of depiction is markedly different. Kokoschka utilizes harsh swatches of color in a manner that makes the mode of depiction relevant. The figures are a compilation of their pigment, their sinful nature and their bold defiance of confining moral norms. Also exploring human consciousness and desire, Klimt depicts sensual human nature. His product is a more polished geometric compilation; his figures are clearly human, but they, like those of Kokoschka, are a work of the artist’s imagination.

While the mode of depiction differs, each work presents a pessimistic view of the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Emphasizing the ideal female figure, the artists set up the female as an irresistible beauty as well as an unrelenting temptress. The women’s charm snares the viewer. Enraptured by the female protagonist’s gaze, the viewer fixates on her, relegating the male figure to a mere supporting role, an afterthought. Reflections of the Freudian period in which the two painters were creating, the works are characterized by a liberated sense of depiction. Both artists conducted countless personal affairs, and, notably, Kokoschka painted the female figure in "Two Lovers" (1913) seemingly as his real-life mistress. An interesting corollary thus arises between the two works. While Klimt depicts the biblical temptress Eve, Kokoschka recreates his material temptress.

I encourage you to observe these works with your own eyes to form your own opinions about their pivotal messages. Moreover, if you are interested in viewing additional works by Klimt, I highly suggest visiting the Klimt exhibition at the Neue Galerie in New York. In addition, the Harvard Art Museums have "Pear Tree"(1903) by Klimt currently on view.