Being a fan of art, I always try to keep updated with all the exhibitions in London museums. Yesterday I had the possibility to visit this one, entirely dedicated to the portraiture in Vienna between the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century.
I decided to write a short review about it, so you will have an idea about what to expect in case you would like to visit it :)
This exhibition is dedicated to portraiture because, among all the genres, this is the most closely associated with the flourishing of modern art in Vienna in the years around 1900. What is more, portraits of this period tell us the story of Vienna's middle class, and reflects the cultural and social evolution of the capital of Austria-Hungary.
The city middle class was radically changing at the end of the 19th century, and the population was expanding, especially through immigration. The last decades of Austria-Hungary were in fact characterized by a liberal climate.
However, after the election of the Conservative Party in 1897, the situation completely changed and the public opinion turned against the middle class of that time.
Because of this shift, home started to be considered as a place of refuge. However, home was also a place of complexity. This tension is communicated through many paintings of family members : although they are represented close to each others, a psychological distance among them clearly emerges.
The third room is mainly dedicated to self-portraits, made by famous artists of that time like Schiele. Self-portraits were an important tool for experimentation.
What is more, painters tended to represent themselves as tormented human subjects, reflecting the influence of Sigmund Freud's theories. The body and the features are not represented in a harmonious way, and the purpose is to show the internal conflicts of the artists.
Freud's theories affected also the way childhood was seen. Children are not considered as angelic and pure anymore. They have internal conflicts, sexual desires, and their complexity is clearly shown in the portraits.
However, portraits were also used as a declaration of love, tainted love especially. This is what the fifth room is about. Love is accompanied by suicide, whose rate was particularly high in the pessimistic middle class of the early 20th century. An important reason for suicide was the loss of identity caused by the turbulences of the political scene, together with the tensions between the different Vienna's religious communities.
The exhibition ends with the sixth room, which clearly communicates a feeling of collapse : paintings are unfinished, communicating the failure of the society.
But at the same time, they embody the creative potential of the multicultural city of Vienna in 1900.
I personally loved this exhibition, it's not long but still it's really intense!
I bought the audioguide as well and I found it very useful :)
