The Austrian Empire, characterized by a rich cultural history is an ideal center for observing the progression into the modern period. Since its earliest days as a medieval town, Austria remains a unique empire because of its most important city, Vienna. A center for the arts and the home of great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, etc, Vienna brought great prestige to the Austrian Empire throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Its structural characteristic of central oriented affluence separates it from the other great cities of the period like Paris and London. In Vienna the substance of the city was found towards its center, where the remaining bulwark of the 16th century forced the city inward, due to the positioning of the empire in relation to the Turks, who constantly threatened the safety of the city. The result was an enclave of culture in the center of Vienna, which continued to flourish through the funding of the aristocracy until it became greater than the citizens itself. This structural omnipotence combined with a monarchy that maintained influence for longer than those of Paris and London led Vienna to its own unique modern story. Two characters essential to this story are Sigmund Freud and Gustav Klimt, whose work inspired a century of free-thinkers.

Although the modern interpretations of human psychology and sexuality are significantly representative of the writings and theories of Sigmund Freud as well as the ideas held by the Secession, to associate all of these ideas with these two people is to make a misinformed suggestion. While much their work was wholly original and revolutionary, their ideas were a product of a century of stifled individuality within the Austrian Empire. The presence of a powerful monarchy, which indirectly suppressed the collective thoughts of the Austrian population during the 19th century, caused these ideas to recede into the shadows, until they exploded in Vienna in the form of painting, architecture and most importantly in Sigmund Freud and Gustav Klimt. Austria gave birth to these minds out of a desire to heal itself, but the result was so immediate and exaggerated, that unfortunately these thoughts, which took a century to come to the surface, were easily scattered with the advent of World War II.