Hygieia stood with the Aesculapian snake around her arm and the cup of Lethe in her hand, turning her back to...

Hygieia stood with the Aesculapian snake around her arm and the cup of Lethe in her hand, turning her back to mankind.
Klimt conveyed an ambiguous unity of life and death, with nothing to celebrate the role of medicine or the science of healing.

Upon display of the painting in 1901, he was attacked by critics who could have noted that Vienna was leading the world in medical research.
An editorial in the Medizinische Wochenschrift complained that the painter had ignored doctors' two main achievements, Preventive medicine|prevention and cure.


Originally shared by Jon “the chef” Hole

Hygieia Gustav Klimt 1901
Her name is the source of the word   Hygiene 
The only colour photo part of the    big picture @ https://plus.google.com/+JonChef/posts/CN4HddkbGXi

Hygieia and her five sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art: Hygieia ("Hygiene" the goddess/personification of health, cleanliness, and sanitation), Panacea (the goddess of Universal remedy), Iaso (the goddess of recuperation from illness), Aceso (the goddess of the healing process), and Aglæa/Ægle (the goddess of beauty, splendor, glory, magnificence, and adornment).

The paintings were attacked by critics when they were presented, as each painting broke different cultural taboos,

Outcome and destruction
The paintings were requested for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri|, but the ministry declined, nervous of what the reaction might be.

Klimt then resigned his Contract|commission, wishing to keep his work, but the ministry insisted they were already property of the state.
 
Only when Klimt threatened the removal staff with a shotgun was he able to keep his painting.
Klimt repaid his advance of 30,000 crowns with the support of August Lederer, one of his major patrons, who in return received Philosophy. In 1911
Medicine and Jurisprudence were bought by Klimt's friend and fellow artist, Koloman Moser.

Medicine eventually came into the possession of a Jewish family, and in 1938 the painting was seized by Germany.
In 1943, after a final exhibition, they were moved to Schloss Immendorf, a castle in Lower Austria, for protection.

In May 1945 the paintings were destroyed as retreating German SS forces set fire to the castle to prevent it falling into enemy hands.

All that remains now are preparatory sketches and a few photographs, most notably that of one focusing solely on Hygieia. Only one photograph remains of the complete painting of Medicine, taken just before it was destroyed. 

Source http://www.klimt.com/en/gallery/early-works/details-klimt-hygieia-detail-aus-medizin-1900.dhtml 

H/t Jacques J.J. Soudan 
#Hygieia   #GustavKlimt