Dear Anna,
As I believe I've explained before, Art Nouveau is one of my favorite periods. The thing that struck me in your pictures today is the amount of gold lavished on the buildings. I tried to find out how significant gold (gilding)was in the movement and discovered Gustav Klimt's father was a gilder! So, in a sense he was bringing the past (his past) into the future--the new aesthetic he imagined. I don't think we can ever escape the influence of family :)
As for the glass bathtub: I'd never heard of it but did look it up. The tub does not look that extraordinary, although at the time it might have seemed a bit outrageous.
Thank you for another lovely journey through the history of art and architecture in Vienna. Always fun, always a learning experience.
Peace and good health to you, my friend,
Affectionately,
AG
Dear AG,
Interesting, I did'n know that Gustav Klimt's father was a gilder. Klimt himself also worked a lot with gold leaf during his "Golden Phase" from the end of the 19th century. Key works from this period are certainly the portrait of #Adele Bloch-Bauer I (the restitution dispute about it is also interesting) and of course The Kiss.
As for the glass bathtub set in nickel at the edges:
It certainly was. But the bathtub was also proof of the importance that Wagner attached to hygiene. The eccentric tub made it to the world exhibition in Paris, but is now considered lost.
Please take care of yourself and stay healthy.
Affectionately,
Anna
Dear Anna,
Thank you for the information. Always opens new doors.
You be well, also. I know fall will be busy for you. Be careful, please.
With warm affection
AG