Richard Wagner (1813-1883), Max Klinger (1857-1920), and Karl May (1842-1912) all pioneered new territory. Born in Saxony and influenced by the region’s cultural environment, the composer, the artist, and the author worked in comparable ways at living within the European dimension. All three examined their own conflicts with social norms in their art and bold visions. To celebrate the 200th birthday of Wagner, this book undertakes a cross-genre survey of the imaginary worlds of the three Saxons, who were so incredibly important to the development of art and culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This investigation focuses on the idea of the total work of art and the artists’ symbolically and emotionally charged concept of the landscape, as well as the fact that they considered themselves creators of new worlds containing parable-like characters. Exhibition schedule: Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, May 16–September 15, 2013