Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt was one of the prominent artists during his era and dominated the Austrian art scene untill his death. He was an important member of the Vienna Art Nouveau movement. Klimt's primary interests for his works lied on depicting the female figures, often in an erotic manner. Many examples of such eroticisms can be seen in his countless drawings and sketches of women."Mulher Sentada" is a pencil drawing of such examples. Klimt also produced great large scale paintings as well as murals. His works are known for its use of the gold leaf and decorative patterns.

Gustav Klimt was born on 1862 in Baumgarten near Vienna, to a gold engraver from Bohemia named Ernst Klimt and Anna Klimt, who was an aspiring musical performer. Klimt had 3 brothers who all had the natural talents for arts and crafts. His brother Ernst was as talented as he but had died young. His other brother Georg was a gifted sculptor who made frames for Gustav Klimt throughout his career.The Klimt family lived in poverty, often moving from places to places in search for the most inexpensive accommodations. The economic advancement for immigrants ( Klimt's father being Bohemian) was very difficult during that time.

Gustav Klimt enrolled in the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts as a full scholarship student, where he studied with passion until 1883. There, he idolized one of the instructor, Hans Makart, a foremost historical painter during that time, and dedicated to learning his principles and academic methods. While a student, he received many commissions from various clients through a small business he set up with his brother Ernst, who also was attending the same school, and a good friend of theirs Franz Matsch. Together they also helped their teacher create his murals in a museum in Vienna.

Klimt's successful professional career began as he received commissions to do murals for ceilings and public buildings. The series of "Allegories and Emblems" were executed during this time. In 1888 Klimt became an honorary member for the University of Vienna and the University of Munich. Also during that time, the Austrian emperor Franz Josef awarded Klimt with the Golden Order of Merit, for his work on the painted murals in Burgtheatre in Vienna.

Klimt's view of art began to change and started focusing more on developing his personal style after the tragedy of his father and older brother's death in 1892. He also had to take over the financial responsibility of his family as well.

It is said that Klimt fathered more than 14 children with different women during the early 1890s. That is also when he met his life-long companion Emilie Floge. But it is still a debate today on whether their relationship was sexual or just platonic.

In 1897, Gustav Klimt was a president of the Vienna Secession, where they dedicated to the exposure of talented artists by giving them exhibitions and publishing artworks for their magazines. The group was supported by the government that recognized their efforts and granted them with lands where exhibitions can be held. Vienna Secession did not discriminate styles but was open to differences, such as Realism, Naturalism and Symbolism all co-existed within the group

Gustav Klimt received a commission to create murals for the University of Vienna's Great Hall in 1894. He was to depict traditional allegories and do three paintings. The paintings were not finished until 1900, and received negative criticism as the society perceived them to be radical and even pornographical depictions that were very disturbing. These three paintings are "Philosophy" "Jurisprudence" and the well known "Medicine" which is admired by many artists and students today. Due to the public outcry at that time ,these works were never displayed in the Great Hall of University of Vienna. Klimt did not accept any more commissions after this mishap, and soon created the painting "Nuda Varita" of a naked young red headed woman holding a mirror of truth, with a quote by Schiller at the top that read "If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please a few. To please many is bad." Unfortunately in 1945 the SS forces destroyed the three paintings, "Philosophy" "Jurisprudence" and "Medicine". ALso during the late 1890s Klimt often took trips with Emilie Floge and did many landscape paintings, which turned out to be the only other subject matter besides the figures that the artist showed great passion for.

The painting "Beethoven Frieze" was completed in 1902 as a celebration of the composer Ludwig Van Beethoven. It was painted solely the 14th exhibition for the Vienna Secession and was painted on the wall of the exhibiting location. After the show the painting was preserved, but was not displayed publicly until 1986.

In early 1900, Gustav Klimt pursued the serious use of the gold leaf in his works, which produced the famous piece "The Kiss" as well as "portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer". His new style of decorative patterns and gold leaf is believed to have been the inspirations from his trips to Venice and Ravenna, where mosaics were popular. During this time, he collaborated with other artists and contributed to creating murals for dining rooms of the home of a rich Belgian industrialist, Palaise Stoclet, which was considered the grandest monument of the Art Nouveau age. The works he painted there include, "Fullfillment","Expectation", as well as the beautiful painting, "Schubert at the Piano" painted for the music room. These are considered to be his finest decorative paintings. Gustav Klimt recalled the experience, "probably the ultimate stage of my development of ornament." Klimt also painted number of images depicting society women in furs. His love for costumes and furs during this time is evident in the many photographs he took of Emilie Froge with furry costumes she had designed herself.

Klimt's lived rather cloistered life, avoiding too much social interactions with artists and people in general, while still devoting himself to important things such as his family and the Vienna Secession. He concentrated painting in his studio with long sittings by women. Despite his quiet life, he always was sexually active with many women, but did his best to keep it discreet as he was a famous artist and had to avoid public scandals. He always had regular patrons coming to buy his works, and remained successful, even affording to turn down numerous unsatisfactory requests. Gustav Klimt is known to have worn long garments with nothing underneath, along with sandals, when working or relaxing in his home.

Gustav Klimt did not keep journals or diaries regarding his methods, but he once stated in a writing called "Commentary on a non-existent self-portrait", that he is never interested in doing a portrait of himself as he finds himself nothing special compared to other people, especially women, and suggests that one should look at his paintings, not himself, if they would like to know more about him.

Gustav Klimt received first prize for his painting "Death and Life" at the Rome World Exhibition in 1911. Four years later his mother Anna Klimt passed away. Gustav Klimt died three years later in 1918 in Vienna due to suffering from pneumonia and stroke, leaving number of his paintings unfinished.

After his death there was great posthumous success as his paintings have been bought with highest prices recorded among any paintings ever purchased. In 2006, the portrait painting of "Adele Bloch-Bauer", a portrait painting done in was bought for $135 million for the Neue Galerie in New York, NY by Ronald Lauder, surpassing Pablo Picasso's "Boy With a Pipe, which was sold for $104 million in May 2004.

Gustave Klimt's work inspired 1992 film "Dracula" directed by Francis Coppola, starring Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves. The theme of the movie is based on Klimt's paintings and won the Oscars for "Best Costume Design".

In 2006 John Malkovich starred as Gustav Klimt in the film "Klimt-Portrait of a Ladies' Man", directed by Raoul Ruiz, depicting Klimt's passions for art and women.

Recommended Book:

Gustav Klimt by by Alfred Weidinger

This book is simply the best of depictions of Klimt's works. It presents complete paintings by Gustav Klimt in large scales with exquisitely detailed reproductions. A must have for Klimt admirers.















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