Max Klinger
Max Klinger | |
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Germany | |
Known for | Printmaking, painting, sculpture |
Notable work | Paraphrase über den Fund eines Handschuhs, Beethoven |
Movement | Symbolism, Vienna Secession, Jugendstil, Art Nouveau. |
Max Klinger (18 February 1857 – 5 July 1920) was a German artist who produced significant work in painting, sculpture, prints and graphics, as well as writing a treatise articulating his ideas on art and the role of graphic arts and printmaking in relation to painting. He is associated with symbolism, the Vienna Secession, and Jugendstil (Youth Style) the German manifestation of Art Nouveau. He is best known today for his many prints, particularly a series entitled Paraphrase on the Finding of a Glove and his monumental sculptural installation in homage to Beethoven at the Vienna Secession in 1902.[1][2]
Life
Klinger was born in
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Bildnis_Elsa_Asenijeff_im_Freien.jpg/110px-Bildnis_Elsa_Asenijeff_im_Freien.jpg)
With a receptive audience developing in Paris, where the Franco-Uruguayan poet and art critic Jules Laforgue had been celebrating and advocating his prints, Klinger moved to Paris in 1883 where he lived until 1886 or 1887.[4] Klinger first began sculpting about 1883, and sculpture slowly came to dominate his output in his later years. He conceived and started work on his Beethoven sculpture while in Paris but, it was not completed and fully realized until 1902.[1] In 1889 Les XX (The Twenty) invited Klinger to exhibit his work in their annual winter exhibition that year in Brussels.[1]: 106 p. He moved to Rome in 1889, staying until 1893, studying the Italian masters, where the 15th century artists and works from antiquity are said to have been something of a revelation to him. He also intensified his studies of anatomy, the nude, and the representation of mass and volume during this period of his life.[6][2]: 93 p. It was a productive time in his career. In the 1890s, Klinger continued his gradual shift away from printmaking in favor of sculpting.[1]
Klinger was an accomplished pianist and counted the composer Max Reger among his friends.[7]: 96 p. A friendship with the composer Johannes Brahms developed over a period of 20 years, culminating with Klinger's publication of his print series Brahms Fantasies (1894) and Brahms's dedication of Vier ernste Gesänge (Four Serious Songs), Opus 121, to Klinger in 1896, a year before the composer's death.[8]
In 1906 he founded the Villa Romana Prize. After buying a villa in Florence, complete with 15,000 square meter park, recipients of the prize were given the opportunity to stay for a few months and adsorbed the culture of the city. The first beneficiary of the prize was Gustav Klimt, however Klimt waived his honor and passed it on to Maximilian Kurzweil. Later recipients included Käthe Kollwitz, Max Beckmann, Ernst Barlach and Georg Kolbe.[7]
Elsa Asenijeff (1867-1941) was a writer and poet, as well as a model, muse, and girlfriend of Klinger for about 15 years. They had a daughter Desirée Klinger (1900–1973) but were never married. In 1903 he moved away from Leipzig and bought a vineyard in Großjena [Gross Jena,], near Naumburg, Germany, where he settled in his later years. In 1911 Klinger left Asenijeff, when her mental health begin to show signs of deteriorating,[7] for an 18-year-old model, Gertrud Bock (1893–1932), who he ultimately married a few months before his death in 1920. Klinger left his estate to Gertrud. The sculptor Johannes Hartmann, a friend of Klinger's, served as caretaker of the Klinger estate and designed Klinger's tomb with portraits of Klinger and Gertrud. Johannes Hartmann married Gertrud Klinger in 1922, however, much of the remainder of their lives was spent in litigation with Klinger's daughter, Desirée Klinger over the estate.[7][9]
Documentary photographs
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Villa Klinger in Leipzig, Germany, on the river Weisse Elster (c. 1900)
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Max Klinger and Elsa Asanijeff in the garden of Villa Romana, Florence (1905)
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House on the vineyard of Max Klinger at Großjena, near Naumburg, Germany
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Memorial with portraits at the tomb of Max Klinger and Gertrud Klinger by Johannes Hartmann, Großjena, Germany
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Portrait of Gertrud Klinger (1921), marble, by Johannes Hartmann
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Portrait of Max Klinger (1921), marble, by Johannes Hartmann
Art
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Brahms-Denkmal_von_Prof._Max_Klinger.jpg/200px-Brahms-Denkmal_von_Prof._Max_Klinger.jpg)
A significant portion of Klinger’s reputation is associated with his many cycles and series of intaglio prints, which influenced numerous printmakers and artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Klinger would adeptly integrate several intaglio media like aquatint, drypoint, and etching in a single plate, producing remarkable formal and tonal qualities. The subjects range from esoteric symbolism to darker aspects of realism. In the cycle A Life (1884), Klinger is often regarded as the first German artist to deal with prostitution as a social problem and the hypocrisy and injustices regarding societies attitude to the subject. The series follow a middle-class woman's descent into prostitution: impregnated, deserted, then rejected by society, she descends into the depths of urban life, and ridiculed by an apathetic and indifferent genteel society. The series A Love (1887) was dedicated to Arnold Böcklin another symbolist artist Klinger greatly admired.[4][5]
In the series,
In Paris he started to draft his polemical text for Painting and Drawing,
Klinger had a lifelong passion for music and musical elements are often reflected and expressed in his art. His print cycles were given
Inspired by recent accounts of archaeological discoveries of antique sculptural remains made from various colored stones, Klinger utilized a variety of materials in many of his sculptures. A mixture of bronze, ivory,
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Max_Klingers_%27Beethoven%27_in_der_14._Ausstellung_der_Wiener_Secession%2C_1902_%282%29.jpg/330px-Max_Klingers_%27Beethoven%27_in_der_14._Ausstellung_der_Wiener_Secession%2C_1902_%282%29.jpg)
Beethoven was the theme of the 14th exhibition of the Vienna Secession in 1902, and Max Klinger's sculpture was brought to Vienna as the centerpiece. The Vienna Secession had hoped to purchase the sculpture but this was not to come to fruition. Headed by Alfred Roller, the artist of the Secession created works on the theme for the galleries and Roller and the architect Josef Hoffmann oversaw the overall installation. Klinger's Beethoven was installed in the central hall with Alfred Roller's mural Night Descending on the wall behind it. Gustav Klimt's seminal Beethoven Frieze was visible in an adjoining room. Even the normally shy and retiring Gustav Mahler was persuaded to transcribe music from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for trumpets and rehearse the musicians for the opening. The exhibition, presented within the specific architecture, with the sculpture, paintings, and music was in part, offered in the context of the Gesamtkunstwerk, comparative to a contemporary installation. The exhibition received extensive press, and generated a scandal. Most of the hostile and negative reviews were directed at Gustav Klimt and his murals. However, Klinger's sculpture received its criticism as well, some dismissing it as kitsch, while others were offended by seeing Beethoven represented nude. Auguste Rodin attended the exhibition and was reported to have walked past Klinger's sculpture without comment, although at a later time he said it had nothing to do with sculpture.[7][11]
Klinger was cited by many artists (notably
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Dead_Mother_by_Max_Klinger%2C_plate_10_from_%27Vom_Tod%27%2C_Second_Part%2C_Opus_XIII%2C_1889%2C_drypoint%2C_state_V-VI_-_Montreal_Museum_of_Fine_Arts_-_Montreal%2C_Canada_-_DSC08924.jpg/220px-thumbnail.jpg)
Print series published by Max Klinger[5]
- 1879. Radierte Skizzen (Etched Sketches), Opus I, nos. 1-8.
- 1879. Rettungen Ovidischer Opper (Deliverances of Ovidian Victims) Opus II, nos. 1-13.
- 1880. Eva und die Zukunft (Eva and the Future), Opus III, nos. 1-6.
- 1880, Amor und Psyche (Cupid and Psyche), Opus V, book with 46 etchings
- 1881. Intermezzi (Intermezzi), Opus IV, nos. 1-12.
- 1881. Paraphrase über den Fund eines Handschuhs (Paraphrase on the Finding of a Glove), Opus VI, nos. 1-10.
- 1883. Vier Landschaften (Four Landscapes), Opus VII, nos. 1-4.
- 1883. Dramen (Dramas), Opus IX, nos. 1-10.
- 1884. Ein Leben (A Life) Opus VIII, nos. 1-15.
- 1887. Eine Liebe (A Love), Opus X, nos. 1-10.
- 1889. Vom Tode, Erster Theil (On Death, Part One) Opus XI, nos. 1-10.
- 1894. Brahmsphantasie (Brahms Fantasy), Opus XII, nos. 1-41.
- 1898-1910. Vom Tode, Zweiter Theil (On Death, Part Two), Opus XIII, nos. 1-12.
In contemporary culture
In Elsa Bernstein's naturalist play Dämmerung, Klinger is mentioned in the third act when Carl talks of being able to afford "etchings by Klinger" for 80 francs.
Inspection Medical Hermeneutics, an infamous Moscow art collective, based their 1991 installation Klinger’s Boxes, on an idea inspired by Klinger's Paraphrase on the Finding of a Glove.
Gallery
Paintings
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Portrait of a Gentleman (undated), oil on cardboard, 37.5 x 32.2 cm (14.7 x 12.6 in), Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria
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Pissing Death (1880), oil on canvas, 95 x 45 cm. Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany.
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A Legation (1882), oil on panel, 37 x 63 cm (14.5 x 24.8 in), Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany
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The Judgment of Paris (1885–87), oil on canvas, wood and plaster, overall dimensions: 370 × 752 × 65 cm, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.
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The Blue Hour (1890), oil on canvas, 191.5 × 176 cm (75.3 × 69.2 in), Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany
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Christ in Olympus (1897), oil on canvas with mixed media, overall dimensions: 549 × 965 × 65 cm, (3800 kg), Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria.
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Landscape on the Unstrut (1912), oil on canvas, 192 x 126 cm (75.5 x 49.6 in), Lindenau-Museum, Altenburg, Germany
Sculptures
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The Drama (before 1904), demotions and collection unknown
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Elsa Asenijeff, c. 1900
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Athlete (1901), demotions and collection unknown
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Beethoven (c.1883-1902), height: 3.10 m, Leipzig, Museum of Fine Arts
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Beethoven Torso (1902), bronze
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Galatea (1906), cast silver and marble, 111.1 × 31.8 × 47.6 cm
Drawings, prints and graphics
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Cupid, Death, and the Beyond, from the series Intermezzi, Opus IV, no. 12 (1881), etching and aquatint, 15.7 × 40.7 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art
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Anxieties from the series Paraphrase on the Finding of a Glove Opus VI, no. 7 (1881), etching, 7, 13,5 x 25,7 cm, Albertina, Vienna
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Abduction from the series Paraphrase on the Finding of a Glove Opus VI, no. 9 (1881), etching, 9, 11,4 x 26,1 cm, Albertina, Vienna
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Intermezzo, from the series A Love, Opus X, no. 6 (1887), etching with engraving and aquatint, 19.1 x 42 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
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First Future, from the series Eva and the Future, Opus III, no, 2 (1879–80), etching with aquatint, 36 x 23.5 cm, Saint Louis Art Museum
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Third Future, from the series Eve and the Future, Opus III, no, 6 (1880), etching, 290 × 201 mm, Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Jack Daulton
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Sitting Naked Woman with Dancing Phallus (1882), ink pen and brush on paper, 30.6 x 18.7 cm
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Temptation, from the series A Life, Opus VIII, no. 4 (1884), aquatint and etching, with roulette, 47.3 × 22.5 cm, Art Institute of Chicago
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Downfall, from the series A Life, Opus VIII, no. 12 (1884), etching and drypoint, 27.6 × 22.8 cm, Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Jack Daulton
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Back into Nothingness from the series A Life, Opus VIII, no. 15 (1884), etching and aquatint, 29.9 x 24.8 cm
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Kiss in the Park, from the series A Love, Opus X, no. 4 (1887), etching and engraving, 45.4 x 27.4 cm
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Evocation, from the series Brahmsphantasie, Opus XII, no, 2 (1894), 21.8 x 34 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington D. C.
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Sisifus (The Faculties) (1914)
References
- ^ ISBN 0-8478-0141-1
- ^ ISBN 0-89009-706-2
- ^ "Galatea". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d Salsbury, Britany. (2000), “The Graphic Art of Max Klinger.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (accessed 8 December 2020).
- ^ ISBN 978-3-89904-270-2
- ^ ISBN 978-1-904832-77-5. Archived from the originalon 10 September 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ ISBN 0-8109-3510-4
- ^ Musée d'Orsay. Max Klinger / Johannes Brahms: Engraving, Music and Fantasy
- ^ "Max Klinger | German artist". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ Klinger, Max (1891), Malerei und Zeichnung [Painting and Drawing], Leipzig, Reusche, 46 pp.
- ^ a b c Mazzaferro, Francesco (2015), German Artists' Writings in the XX Century - Max Klinger, 'Painting and Drawing'. Part One: The Overall Context. Art Literature (accessed 17 December 2020)
- ^ Marie-Louise Monrad Møller: Wagner im Schatten – Die Geschichte des Richard Wagner-Denkmals in Leipzig. In: Leipziger Stadtgeschichte. Jahrbuch 2013. Sax-Verlag Beucha 2014, ISBN 978-3-86729-129-3, S. 111–162 The first six pages of the article (in German)
- ^ Rubin, William S. (1968), Dada and Surrealist Art. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, New York. 525 pp.
- ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser".
Further reading
- Gibson, Michael. "Symbolism". ISBN 3-8228-9324-2.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png)
- Plate 1 of 'Paraphrase on the Finding of a Glove – all ten plates can be viewed in order
- www.max-klinger.com
- Max Klinger's Beethoven Monument
- "This Kiss to the Whole World" Klimt and the Vienna Secession. (NYARC) Klinger Vienna Secession exhibition catalog; Short bio; Beethoven Statue.
- Max Klinger - Die Macht des Weibes 2020 German documentary at IMDb