This is where the influence on Klimt comes in. There are stories of the Mackintoshes being carried victoriously through the streets of Vienna, having flowers strewn at their feet. The whole of Vienna was entranced with this room. Quintessentially Art Nouvea, they are organic but geometric, mystical but detailed and heavily focussed on decoration and pattern. This they did, with Margaret specifically creating The Seven Princesses, a series of 12 incredible panels. Following the success, they were engaged to provide interior decoration for the music room of Fritz Warndorfer, a wealthy Viennese arts patron. They were very successful at the exhibition, selling all of their work and proving very popular attractions. At the VIIIth exhibition in 1900, which was an exhibition specialising in the applied arts rather than easel painting, the Mackintoshes were invited to exhibit. The Secession arranged regular exhibitions at the Secession House. In 1897, he led a breakaway from the traditional academic world to establish the Vienna Secession, together with other Art Nouveau style artists such as Joseph Hoffman. Separately to all this, Gustav Klimt of course was forging a hugely successful artistic career in Vienna. They also began to be invited to exhibit in London and on the continent. From 1895, they opened their own studio specialising in the applied, decorative arts and began to create items and have work published in international journals such as the famous Yellow Book (where Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations appeared) and The Studio. They began to work together almost immediately upon meeting, becoming know as the Glasgow Four. Frances went on to marry MacNair in 1899 and Margaret married Mackintosh in 1900. The girls were Margaret and Frances Macdonald. A few years later, probably some time in 1893, Newbery introduced them to two new girl students whose work reminded him of Mackintosh and MacNair’s own work. They enrolled in evening classes at the Glasgow school of art and became friendly with the head of the school, Fra Newbery. Rennie Mackintosh and MacNair met when they joined the architectural practise of Honeyman and Keppie in 1888. The Glagow Four are linked by more than just their work, of course. Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh – Seven Princesses Panel Although Klimt is one of my favourite artists, the Glasgow four (the Macdonald sisters, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Herbert MacNair) rank even higher in my imaginary personal top 10! And they don’t get enough recognition for their influence. I’m not going to write about that painting, however, but about the influence that Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and her sister Frances had on the work of Klimt. The film is about one of his most famous paintings, the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I and it’s checkered history. With the film Woman in Gold coming out this week, I thought it might be a good time to write a Gustav Klimt related post.
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