Focus on Klimt University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings and discuss the Reaction.
The Faculty Paintings were attacked by critics when they were presented, as each painting broke different cultural taboos, contradicting the trend of the era to "sublimate reality and to only present its more favourable aspects" (Neret). The paintings also drew the standard charges of obscenity which Klimt often faced. Eighty-seven faculty members protested against the murals, and in 1901 a public prosecutor was called in and the issue even reached the Parliament of Austria, the first time that a cultural debate had ever been raised there, but in the end no action was taken. Only the education minister defended Klimt, and when Klimt was elected to be a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1901 the government refused to ratify the action. He was never offered another teaching position. This would also be the last time Klimt would accept commissions from the state, remarking: "I've had enough of censorship ... I reject all state support, I don't want any of it."
A later painting of his entitled Goldfish (to my critics) (1901–1902), which showed a smiling, beautiful woman projecting her bottom at the viewer, was a response to all those who attacked the 'pornography' and 'perverted excess' of the University paintings. Animated by resentment, Klimt wanted to title the painting "To my critics", but was dissuaded by friends.
In 1903, Hermann Bahr, a writer and a supporter of Klimt, in response to the criticism of the Faculty Paintings collected the articles that had attacked Klimt, and published a book Gegen Klimt (Against Klimt) with his foreword, where he argued that the reactions to Klimt's works were absurd.
paintings Austria commission Painting Hermann Bahr Parliament of Austria pornography