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The Vienna Secession was not characterised by one single style but was linked closely with Jugendstil – literally 'youth style', the German-speaking world's adaptation of Art Nouveau.
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They viewed all forms of art and craft as having equal status and aspired to the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) that encompassed all aspects of the visual environment. They aimed to bring purer forms to art and design and to make a separation from the historical styles of the past. The Secessionists – among them Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Joseph Maria Olbrich and Alfred Roller – were united by a shared desire to integrate art into all aspects of life. This group aimed to create new, progressive art, to bring contemporary international art to Viennese audiences and to provide a forum for the discussion and distribution of new ideas about art and culture.
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Begun by notable artists and architects Gustav Klimt, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Koloman Moser, and Josef Hoffman among others who had been part of the Association of Austrian Arts, the group founded the Union of Austrian Artists (now known as the Vienna Secession) in 1897. Like many styles in the late 19th through 20th centuries, the Vienna Secession was a rejection of the traditional conservative style that was prevalent throughout art, architecture, and design.