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Fernand Khnopff sculptors of Femme Vivien. This is one of the title because it has another
title Nymph. Fernand Khnopff, he's a Belgian painter, sculptor, print maker, so a very
talented artist from the end of the 18th, 19th century. He is really important because
the first movement of the secession of Art Nouveau, begin in Brussels and in the beginning
of the 80s and he was one of the artist who took part in this movement. So the Belgian
Art Nouveau was the first Art Nouveau movement in Europe. This sculpture is very, is interesting
because we can see which influences were important for the secession artist. If we use the title
Vivien, because Vivien was the lover of Merlin or better to say Merlin, from the story of
King Arthur, falling in love with Vivien and he taught all of his knowledge to her so she
became a woman magician. And so in this story, Vivien represent the woman, femme fatal, from
the end of the 19th century. And so it's really important that the secessionism had a big
influence from the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This brotherhood were made, was made in 1848
in England and they wanted to paint in the style before Raphaelo. So their main goal
was to use stories from literature and poetry. The story of King Arthur was very popular
among them as well the plays of Shakespeare, they were really interested in such things.
They wanted to display not historical scenes but, of course, these topics were in a way
historical. What is the connection of Knopff all to these? That he was active from the
beginning of the 80's and he were exhibiting his works in England as well. And he became
an expert of the English painting of the 19th century and he came to familiar to this Pre-Raphaelite
painters like William Holman Hunt or Dante Gabriel Rossetti. I think that was the reason
to make the sculptor of Vivien to, it's a colorful sculptor which is really rare at
that time but he wanted to introduce this thing. And we can see the half body of Vivien
before a kind of a gothic altar which also connection to the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood
who wanted to get the Medieval atmosphere, Medieval mood.