Chapter 62 (2) - The Mysterious Art Museum
Klimt said, crossing his arms.
"Stop that talk, Beethoven was a true artist who didn't follow trends and didn't consider patrons' tastes, making his own music, a deity of music who sublimated his physical flaws through art. I want to express my ample respect for him."
Hoffman chuckled and nodded.
"Wagner's comprehensive art style exhibition would be a first in Austria, it should be fresh."
Hoffman mentioned Richard Wagner.
He was a German composer who dealt not only with music but also with art, philosophy, literature, politics, visual and theatrical arts, an artist who brought all forms of art together in comprehensive exhibitions. Wagner, who combined music, poetry, and dance into a pioneering whole and was radical at the time, greatly influenced the activities of the Vienna Secession.
Klimt smiled and said.
"Make sure the Ode to Joy* resonates during the exhibition." [Symphony No. 9]
"Yes, of course. But does it have to be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic?"
"Certainly. The Vienna Philharmonic, known for its conservative sound, still rejects the evolution of instruments. They don't just insist on tradition. They reject the evolution of instruments that would make playing easier, mistakes less noticeable, and save the musicians' energy, they play the original sound of the instruments, which aligns well with the spirit of the Vienna Secession."
"Hmm, understood. Let's do that."
Hoffman, admiring the painting, asked.
"But Klimt."
"Hmm?"
"What did you mean by a painting you are trying for the first time?"
Klimt gestured with his eyes to the left end of the painting.
"View the painting from left to right in order."
Hoffman's head moved a whopping 34 meters from left to right.
"I've seen it all."
"How does it make you feel?"
"Um, let's see. It felt desperate and dark, then ornate, and finally, a future filled with joy and hope was visible."
Klimt beamed with a smile.
"Good, you saw it well."
Klimt looked at Hoffman and said.
"Have you ever seen a comic?"
I turned my head sharply while listening to their conversation and looking at the painting.
'A comic? Why suddenly talk about comics?'
The world's first comic magazine was Ellie Sloper's Half Holiday, a strange title published in 1884.
It was a tabloid weekly publication that cost a penny and featured serials, current affairs, and prose fiction but is remembered not because it was artistically or commercially successful, but because it was the first comic magazine.
The real advent of comics was around 1890. There were comics even in that era.
But then as now, comics were often viewed not as harmless railway literature but as something evil and were criticized.
Especially artists of the time did not recognize comics as art. Yet, the word 'comic' came from Klimt's mouth.
Hoffman, in line with the Vienna Secession's aim to break traditional norms, nodded and said.
"I have, it's more interesting than you think. It may lack in contemplation or emotional depth, but in terms of topicality, it has the power to evoke public empathy more easily than traditional art."
Klimt nodded and gestured towards the painting.
"There's a comic element in that painting."
What?
I looked back and forth between Klimt's face and the painting. What is this about?
Comic elements in Klimt's painting? That's unheard of.
Hoffman looked closely at the painting again and nodded.
This was Klimt's innovative approach.
A hymn to Beethoven's sublime spirit, dedicated by Klimt: the Beethoven Frieze.
This painting is based on Richard Wagner's interpretation of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and is divided into five parts, with three narrative sections.
First section.
The middle and bottom of the painting are empty, and the top is filled with images of women flying languidly.
Suffering humanity begs the strong for happiness.
The languidly flying women represent humanity's longing and aspiration, expressing hope and anticipation for the future.
A golden knight, leading them towards hope, is where they head.
People flying towards him implore the knight for salvation.
His powerful weapons and inner compassion and ambition become a force leading the struggle for happiness.
Angels armed with music hover over the warrior, flowing across the sky, and human figures symbolize eternal humanity, encouraging this strong warrior, Beethoven.
A world hostile to humanity's pursuit of happiness, the golden knight clad in art's armor is desperately hoped to pave the way.
Second section.
The emergence of forces antagonistic to human longing.
A giant gorilla is Typhon, who even the gods could not oppose, and his three daughters, the Gorgons, are by his side.
The three sisters, symbolizing disease, madness, and death, are howling.
On the right, women symbolizing lust, debauchery, and excess stand like pimps, with humanity's longings and desires soaring over these hostile forces, flying behind them.
The three women in provocative poses seem to hinder our path to happiness.
The woman of desire, with a secretive expression, tries to draw our gaze to her alone,
The woman of lewdness, with closed eyes, faces us, ready to plunge humanity into an inescapable abyss.
The woman of excess, with sagging breasts and swollen belly, shamelessly looks elsewhere.
Behind the three women, Typhon's shadow and fur envelop them, and the swirl of snakes forms a thick barrier like armor.
Klimt expressed through this painting that humanity must cross this hostile world to reach the land of happiness.
A monster breathing fire, symbolizing powerful hostile forces, shows that humanity is infinitely weak and exposed to numerous constraints and restrictions.
Third section.
A kiss to the world.
A group of women floating in water is drawn horizontally at the top of the painting.
Moving to the right, a naked man and woman are seen kneeling and praying.
If the suffering weak humanity's feet are bound to the earth, the women symbolizing humanity's longing are flying in the sky.
Art shows us the way to the kingdom of ideals.
There, only pure ecstasy, happiness, and love exist. Holy angels sing in chorus.
The climax of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, the final chorus
"Joy, you shine with eternal light from heaven. A kiss for the whole world!" seems visually expressed here.
The knight in golden armor shares a moment of overflowing happiness with a woman, and behind them, numerous women sing in chorus.
Why is the knight naked?
Armor was needed when facing hostile forces, but now that complete happiness is achieved, it's unnecessary.
There's no need even for clothes, as there's nothing harmful.
Klimt conveys in this scene that humanity has attained complete happiness and achieved a perfect victory over evil.
I nodded as I interpreted the painting from a narrative perspective.
Klimt wanted to express a story through this painting.
Was it because I never knew?
The Austrian artist, Klimt, was inspired by comics, which artists had been looking down upon.
At this moment, I'm somewhat shocked.
Unknowingly, my mind tried to draw lines and separate in the realm of art.
"This is art and that is mere commercial illustration."
Where did I go wrong?
When everything that satisfies the intellectual curiosity of all people is art.
Why have I been separating them until now?
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