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Franz Grillparzer (1791-1872)
Grillparzer is emblematic of the late
Austrian monarchy for several reasons. He described himself as split
personality always drawn between rational thought and galloping fantasy. As
a son of a well-situated advocate the profession of a civil servant for the
Habsburg monarchy seemed the obvious choice.
He never abandoned his
interest in theatre and literature and wrote an impressive number of plays
and poems. His first play to hit the stage was called 'Die Ahnfrau' (The
Ancestress) and earned him the position of official playwright of the
Burgtheater. As an artist he combined German classicism
inspired by Friedrich Schiller and exuberant lyricism. Franz Grillparzer is
generally considered to be the greatest Austrian playwright.
His major works are 'Ein
Traum, ein Leben' (A Dream is Life), his comedy 'Weh dem, der lügt', a
historical tragedy 'König Ottokars Glück und Ende' (King Ottokars Rise and
Fall') and a trilogy inspired by Greek mythology: 'Das goldene Vliess'.
Very often, the power of
fate is a central topic in his plays. 'Weh dem, der lügt' investigates the
question of the end justifying the means. The conclusion is somewhat
philosophical: As long as the good outnumbers the bad, the means do not
signify all that much.
Truth is a mighty slippery concept.
Ferdinand Raimund (1790-1836)
Ferdinand Raimund abandoned his apprenticeship in a bakery to become an
actor. His carreer had a rocky start with him working for various travelling
theatres throughout Hungary until he was able to secure a position at famous
'Theater an der Wien'. Raimund was
a charismatic actor, even though he would have preferred to
star in tragedies rather than in burlesques and comedies.
3 of his 8 plays are known and ocassionally staged today: 'Der
Alpenkönig und der Menschenfeind' (The King of the Alps and the Misanthrop),
'Das Mädchen aus der Feenwelt oder Der Bauer als Millionär' (The girl from
fairy land or the farmer as millionaire) and 'Der Verschwender' (The
dissipator).
However, his plays are typical examples of romantic magical
comedies with fairy stories, moral allegories and deus-ex-machina happy
endings which are at odds with contemporary tastes.
Johann Nestroy (1801-1862)
Johann Nestroy
is often dubbed the Austrian Shakespeare. Quite rightly: like the great
master of English literature, Nestroy impersonated the one or other
character of his plays himself until he died.
In 1833 Nestroy lands his
first coup: The play 'Lumpacivagabundus' was an immediate success.
He become a leading figur
of Austrian Biedermeier and Vormerz culture and society. Together with
forerunner
Ferdinand
Raimund,
Nestroy started off the tradition of Viennese popular theater ('Wiener
Volkstheater') paving the way for
Arthur
Schnitzler
or Ödön von Horvath.
In contrast to Raimund's
interest in romantic and magical fantasies, Nestroy emphasizes the comedy's
facilities for parody and criticism even though his texts were adapted to
snuggle around the strict zensurship of his time, the era of conservative
minister Metternich. His interest in word play was legendary often blending
Viennese dialect with his figure's failed attempt at educated speech.
In all his plays music is
an important artistic means with songs elaborating the theme or helping on
with the plot.
Like Shakespeare, Nestroy
was highly prolific. Among the most important are 'Lumpacivagabundus',
'Liebesgeschichten und Heiratssachen', 'Der Talisman', 'Einen Jux will er
sich machen' or 'Der Zerissene' all of them burlesque comedies, a genre called 'Posse' on German, which he adapted to carry
social criticism and biting satire.
Joseph Roth (1894-1939)
Joseph Roth
was an acute chronicler of the downfall of the Habsburg empire and the
reverberations for the Austrian people. He worked traumatic experiences of
World War I into his prose, experiences which where shared by many of his
generetion. Also a journalist with an interest in social issues Joseph
Roth's writing met with success mostly because of the somewhat glorified
depiction of imperial Habsburg. By this he contributed to establishing the
Habsburg myth.
Although glorifying might
well be too harsh a word. Especially in his novels 'Radetzky Marsch' and ensuing 'Die Kapuzinergruft' he depicts the melancholy
of a people suddenly reduced to comparable insignificance combined with
severe economic troubles. Three generations of a family called Trotta hold
the readers attention in their strive for fortune and fame and their
eventual doom when the empire crumbled.
'Hotel Savoy' introduces the hotel as a transitory place for people in
misfortune, a setting that would gain in importance in the literature to
follow.
Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
From 1876 to 1883 Gustav Klimt attended the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts
and from 1879 he started working with his brother Ernst Klimt on decorative
paintings, designed for public buildings in Vienna, Bucharest and Rijeka. In
1897 Klimt was one of the founding members of the Vienna Secession. He was
chairman until he resigned in 1905. Gustav Klimt created a new and highly
individual style in the Austrian art world. He broke with the conventional
academic ideals.
Especially his later work is defined by the use of intensive
colors, golden backgrounds, ornamental layouts, erotic elements and heavy
symbolism. Although his work was controversal, he had a strong influence on
the cultural world of his time and established himself as a very popular
painter in the Viennese society.
In Vienna's museums you can admire some
of his most famous works. The
Museum of
Applied Arts is proud of its collection. At the
Belvedere you can take in 'Der Kuss' (The Kiss) in all its glory.
Famous work: "The Kiss" 1908; "Dame mit Fächer" 1917
Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980)
In 1907 Oskar Kokoschka started to study at the Vienna School of Arts and
Crafts and worked for the 'Wiener Werkstätte'. Kokoschka's interests were
not only limited to painting, but also to literature. His work at that time
was considered as extremely violent and destructive. Due to this he was
expelled from art school. By 1910 he went to Berlin and worked at the
magazine "Der Sturm" as an illustrator. At the beginning of World War I he
volunteered for the Austrian Army. In 1915 he was seriously wounded, taking
years for his recovery.
In 1919 he was appointed professor at the Dresden Academy of
Art. During the 1930s with the rise of the national socialist party the
political situation began to leave a harsh impression on the art scene. In
1939 Kokoschka and his wife fleed to England, while his work was displayed
in Munich in a mockery exhibition of degenerated art. After the end of World
War II he returned to Austria. In 1953 he started running his "School of
Seeing" at the 'Sommerakademie für bildende Künste' in Salzburg.
Famous work: "Adolph Loos"; "Loreley"; "Stilleben mit Putto und Kaninchen"
Egon Schiele (1890-1918)
Egon Schiele studied at the Vienna Academy
of Fine Art from 1906 to 1909. From 1909 on, his paintings were presented in
many exhibitions. During this Periode Schiele became friends with Gustav
Klimt, who influenced his work very much. He combined an ornamental surface
with an expressive style and vivid colors. Schiele's style of painting,
which included a lot of nudity and his frequent contact with minors,
especially young girls even earned him a short sentence to prison in 1912.
It is also said, that he produced a lot of pornographic material, which he
sold to collectors. From 1915 to 1918 he was called for duty in the army,
where he served as a clerk and in 1917 he got married to Edith, a young girl
from the neighborhood. In 1918 Schiele finally managed his break through to
popularity with an exhibition and at the 49th Secession gallery.
In Vienna you can admire his major
works at the
Belvedere.
Famous work: collection of selfportraits; "Death
and the Maiden" 1915-16
Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000)
In 1948
Friendensreich Hundertwasser studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts for
4 months. A year later he changed his name to Friedensreich Hundertwasser,
which means "full-of-peace hundred-water". From 1949 to 1952 he undertook
many journeys to North Africa and Paris, where he started to deal with the
paintings of Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee and others.
In 1962 Hundertwasser had his international break through at the Biennale in
Venice. Around this time he also made ideological statements, with his
famous nudist speeches and his call for peace, ecology and new forms of
architecture. Not unlike the artists of the Session Movement, he saw art as
a decoration. Hundertwasser got even more famous as an architect. From 1986
to 1991 he planned and realised different buildings, like the Hundertwasser
Haus and the front of the waste combustion Spittelau.
Famous work: "Hundertwasserhaus" opened
1986; "30 Day Fax Picture" 1994.
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