Vienna Secession - Definition and Overview

The Vienna Secession or (also known as Secessionstil, or Sezessionstil in Austria) was part of that highly varied movement that is now covered by the general term Art Nouveau. Sezessionstil architects liked to decorate the surface of their buildings with linear ornamentation in a form commonly called whiplash or eel styles. Otto Wagner's Majolika Haus in Vienna (c1898) is a significant example of the Austrian use of line. Otto Wagner's way of modifying Art Nouveau decoration in a classical manner did not find favour with some of his pupils who broke away to form the Secessionists. One was Josef Hoffmann who left to form the Wiener Werkstatte, an Austrian equivalent of the Arts and Crafts Movement. A good example of his work is the Stoclet House in Brussels (1905).

Other figures of the Vienna Secession include:

• Gustav Klimt
• Egon Schiele