Historicism to Art Nouveau: Klimt and Ornament

An analysis of Gustav Klimt’s career, with particular attention to the aesthetic debates surrounding Viennese turn-of-the-century architecture and the nature of ornament.
Claude Cernuschi, professor, Art History; chair, Fine Arts Department, Boston College.

[@remsan03]

Wow, this guys is good. Very deserving of his illustrious title. But not only he's clever, but he's also a great communicator of his field. Not dry at all.

[@MaryKnasinski]

I am eternally grateful that I found these lectures from the museum - I'm loving every topic, but some (such as this one) are truly exceptional. What a fabulous resource. I was in the museum only once, twenty years ago, and now would like to plan a trip to Boston just to return to it.

[@robcoghan5204]

All of this guys lectures should be uploaded, quite outstanding scholarship

[@PaulA-px4kx]

Wonderful lecturer - certainly keeps your attention - learned in his topics, with a wry sense of humor - would love more!

[@jellybeanbear7017]

i came here after watching Professor Claude's presentation about Van Gogh. At first the accent turns me off bc it's kinda hard to hear but the more I listen, the more I was amazed by his broad knowledge. ANd now I cnat get enough of hearing his talk. A very well-worth 1 hour and 16 minutes

[@tohlfer]

If “next weeks lecture” is out there somewhere I would love to see it.

[@Winterlight08]

A very good lecture. Thank you very much for sharing it with everybody!

[@m.i.miller8008]

Excellent. Totally enjoy his lectures.

[@sophiat7289]

Brilliant lecture- very well researched with tremendous intellectual connections made for the audience by this art historian. Fully enjoyed this!

[@neddelamatre9572]

Outstanding presentation.

[@tadjani5191]

I loved the Van Gogh lecture. I hope that another lecture by Professor Cernuschi will be uploaded before the long summer break begins?

[@tadjani5191]

Never mind, I did not see that this was not from a recent semester. In any event, PLEASE, more lectures from this professor! Not only informative, but you can tell that he took the time to prepare and rehearse his remarks. Thank you!

[@kathleenchane1353]

So happy to see this lecture here. Looking forward to watching the rest of the series.

[@ysrtttoff3262]

Great as usual with this professor!

[@oddanneout]

Fascinating. Wonderfully stimulating. Thank you!

[@renzo6490]

A superb lecture !! Minus the mispronunciation of "jewelry" ( 32:19 )

[@johnoriordan2469]

concise, considered and most stimulating. Many thanks

[@danieladeutsch1708]

Chapeau, sir, you are wonderful! All my respect! Toda raba.

[@jamesboekbinder3967]

Great lecture, rich, precise, funny - will share widely!

[@jataim4197]

I think I fell in love w/this Lecturer!?!

[@linusfotograf]

Great lecture!

[@sherrylhenning5630]

To my critics?? BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! Wow! The politics/social situation was truly complicated. I had to listen a couple times to catch it all. I had no idea it was like that. Thank you for this, and all the other videos you have made available to people like me! I'm learning so much!

[@parvenughost6858]

Thanks so much for this lecture :)

[@xanthejrvwa3506]

this professor is amazing. many thanks.

[@dreamtowermedia5301]

An excellent entertaining lecture. Regarding ornamentation and symbols, he's probably right about the influence of the philosophers of the day on the viewpoints of Loos, Riegl and others. But the significance of artistic symbols can be more easily defended by a source that goes much further back: the mythology of the very ancient cultures the professor mentions. Mythological symbols hold great meaning as they represent the forces of the human psyche, and they resonate thousands of years later. And perhaps as Leibnitz claimed, or in the sense of the collective unconscious and the archetypes of Jung, these symbols exist in the mind and memory of humanity as a whole, and emerge at times even when the artist does not consciously intend their meaning.

[@annanannanner]

I like the gold tie!

[@mariadam9157]

wow... thx for that talk!

[@douglasjgcosta]

This professor is awesome

[@markr.devereux3385]

I think I've found mypassion when it comes to architecture. ART NOUVEAU

[@xavierbuch2375]

good to watch

[@loisresnick1307]

Copley was criticized for being. too liney. However he had never seen a high quality British portrait. He had to paint from prints which were naturally very flat.He married the daughter of the Boston representative for the British tea company. It was his tea dumped into Boston harbor, the tea party. Naturally Copley was delighted to move to London. The exquisite gowns that his American women subjects wore were usually borrowed from British prints. Boston’s MFA has the largest collection of American Copley’s

[@s.farfal8248]

23:00

[@lakshmanankomathmanalath]

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙👍

[@lapitiadedelfos1159]

He gaudit amb aquesta xerrada. M'ha deixat amb la boca oberta.

It's fascintaing that in Klimts time ornament was rejected and m9re conservative minds embraced minimalism but then when Hitler rose to power he embraced ornament, specifically classical Greek and Roman architecture and rejected minimalism and modernism in general.

[@gunnareinarsson6590]

Fascinating subject. Well now, couldn't one be anti-imperial, anti-semitic AND pro-ornamentation, if you wanted to? :)

[@melodymarks4927]

why does anti semitism be included? melody

[@tsrevo1]

Amazing. 100 years later, Vienna is EXACTLY in the same place where it was, Israel is the start-up nation. Makes one think...

[@melodymarks4927]

israel historically existed long before vienna

[@RichMitch]

First!

[@elizabethbrauer1118]

That voice!! Ouch🙉