Magical girls by Klimt and Schiele

There are outside opportunities to be taken advantage of. The Portrait of Edith by Egon Schiele by his wife Edith will be joined by Gustav Klimt's one-off at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag Judith I from Vienna. Two fascinating works, both of which are extremely rarely lent. And although the artists knew and appreciated each other, almost no greater difference is imaginable than between the two women depicted. Therefore, five reasons to visit this exhibition. Welcome to the Vienna of 1900!

1. Judith does not travel much

The portrait of Schiele's wife Edith is one of the Gemeentemuseum's masterpieces. Director Benno Tempel sees it on a par with 'magical girls' like the Mona Lisa whether it Girl with a Pearl Earring, but she never became that well known to the general public. [hints]Every now and then, the Gemeentemuseum tries to change this, just a few years ago with the project Edith as muse By artist Puck Verkade[/hints].Edith is the only painting by Schiele in a Dutch collection. Moreover, the piece is too fragile to travel often.

Yet it is now on loan. This is partly because much of Schiele's work has been returned to Jewish heirs in recent years. [hints]The film Woman in gold (2015) tells the story of Maria Altmann's legal battle to recover five paintings from the family collection, including from Vienna's Museum Belvédère.[/hints]As a result, the Schiele flush in Vienna has worn thin. Museum Belvédère there wanted Portrait of Edith very happy to borrow and was willing to offer something nice in return. Edith hung there this winter next to their masterpiece Judith I By Klimt. Now they are here together. Also Judith does not travel much; it even requires permission from the Bundesdenkmalamt (the Austrian heritage agency). And indeed, meeting both ladies is without a doubt magical.

2. Vienna Secession

Egon Schiele knew Gustav Klimt well and considered him one of his teachers. Klimt had joined forces with other artists to create the Vienna Secession founded, a group that opposed old art and state censorship. Klimt, influenced by Jan Toorop, dipped mainly into Art Nouveau, while the younger Schiele worked more expressionist. That expressionist line continued Oskar Kokoschka forth. The exhibition features drawings and designs by Klimt, Schiele as well as Kokoschka. Moreover, it largely coincides with the major Toorop exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum. Thus, an entire era can be viewed at once.

3. Freud

Despite the artists' similarities, the two women are worlds apart. Edith is depicted as the chaste ideal housewife. She was not really that - the marriage was far from perfect - but that is how Egon wanted to see her. Judith, in the Bible, is a virtuous widow who uses her seductive skills only to get the enemy general Holofernes drunk and beheaded. Klimt turns her into a sultry, pleasure-seeking woman. Holofernes' head is half in the picture, but plays a supporting role.

It is indicative of the ambiguous sexual climate in Vienna around 1900. Men visited prostitutes en masse; demure behaviour was required of women. Women were seen as virgins or whores, femme fatale or femme fragile; there was no middle ground. Psychologist Sigmund Freud was one of those who thought and wrote most denigratingly about women. He saw women as reasonless creatures, driven by their sexuality. Yet women's emancipation could not be stopped; women's suffrage was introduced in December 1918. Klimt and Schiele did not live to see it. Earlier that year, they both died of Spanish flu.

4. Gesamtkunstwerk in a Gesamtkunstwerk

In the exhibition, Edith and Judith each with its own room, doing justice to the mood of the paintings. Edith light, with curtains recalling the fabric of the dress, Judith dark and sultry, with gold-shining perfume bottles. Fashion house Maison the Faux signed for the revolutionary design, which fits the tenor of the period on display to 'Gesamtkunstwerke' to put down. Moreover, the design fits perfectly with the Berlage museum building. This building is itself a Gesamtkunstwerk and has a catalogue number in the museum collection for a reason. And while we are on the subject: with its tooled frame, on which the picture continues, it is Judith I actually also a Gesamtkunstwerk. In the adjoining rooms, decorated with black and white geometric patterns, we see jewellery by the Wiener Werkstätte, posters, book designs and drawings.

5. Book

The exhibition publication is like the exhibition itself: small but fine. Curator Frouke van Dijke delves deeper into the subject matter in two essays. Art historical on Klimt and Schiele, social historical on Judith, Edith and the image of women. Excellent photographic and reproduction material makes this book even more of a pleasure to read.

Klimt-Schiele. Gemeentemuseum The Hague, until 19 June 2016.