Gustav Klimt and Japanese Art in Fin-de-Siècle Vienna

This probing and innovative monograph, based on an interdisciplinary and multicultural approach, traces the trajectory of the Japanese influence on Klimt's heterogeneous and idiosyncratic oeuvre. Placing Klimt's experimentations with Japanese stimuli in a broad historical and cultural context, it unfolds a vibrant picture of the unprecedented creative dialogue and synthesis of Japanese models by one of the most important modernists. Closely investigating the intricate anatomy of Klimt's art, this groundbreaking project constructs a critical theory of the evolution of Klimt's style and is the first comprehensive study of the role of Japonisme in its genesis. Focusing on Klimt's experimentation with Japanese models, the book presents a multifaceted conception of Klimt's modernism, thereby providing an indispensable and vital account of Vienna 1900. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, Japanese studies, and European studies.

Svitlana V. Shiells is an independent scholar. She is a former professor, who has taught at different universities in Ukraine, the United States, and Austria. She lives and works in Vienna.

Introduction 1. The Weltausstellung 1873 in Vienna as a Cultural Watershed 2. Avatar of Austrian Modernism: The Road to the Secession 3. The Theoretical Steppingstones of Klimt's Artistic Transformation and His First Programmatic Paintings 4. The Aesthetic Dialogue Between Klimt and Hiroshige 5. Katsushika Hokusai and Gustav Klimt 6. Japanese Erotic Prints and Klimt's Visual Reflections 7. Metamorphoses: Portrait of Sonja Knips and Ito Jakuchu's Print Golden Pheasant and Bamboo in Snow 8. Shinto and Beyond: Klimt's Portrait of Emilie Flöge and The Kiss 9. The Enduring Necessity of Reaffirming of Klimt's Artistic Principles and Commitments 10. Geometric Engagement and Symbolic Transcendence in Klimt's Portraiture 11. Redressing Modernity: The Impact of the Kimono on Klimt's Oeuvre 12. Requiem: Klimt's Series of Late Paintings Conclusion: Klimt, the Sensei