Gustav Klimt was a notable Austrian symbolist painter. Besides, he was one of the most outstanding representatives of the Vienna Secession movement. Gustav gained prominence for his paintings, murals, sketches and other artworks. His works are characterized by the highly decorative style and their erotic nature - the female body was the primary subject of the painter's works. However, Klimt was also known for his landscapes.
Background
Ethnicity:
Gustav's father, Ernst Klimt the Elder, was born in Bohemia, the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech lands in the present-day Czech Republic.
Gustav Klimt was born on July 14, 1862 in Baumgarten, near Vienna, Austrian Empire (present-day Baumgarten, Vienna, Austria). He was the second of seven children (three boys and four girls) of gold and silver engraver, Ernst Klimt the Elder, and his wife, Anna (Finster) Klimt. Gustav's younger brothers were Ernst Klimt and Georg Klimt.
Education
At an early age, Klimt demonstrated an interest in drawing and art and, at the age of fourteen, entered Vienna's Künstgewerbeschule (present-day the University of Applied Arts Vienna), a school of applied art, where he studied for the next seven years. Eventually joined there by his younger brother, Ernst, Klimt collaborated with his sibling in sketching portraits from photographs for a modest fee. These two, together with fellow student, Franz Matsch, teamed up to take on more formal decorative commissions, while still at the school. In 1880, recommended by their professor Ferdinand Laufberger, the three students won their first official commission, undertaking ceiling paintings for a spa, done in the popular style of the painter Hans Makart and incorporating classical allusions.
In 1886, the team won a further commission to help decorate the newly completed Burgtheater in Vienna. Inspired by his study of classical Greek vases, as well as the art of the Assyrians and by the eye for detail, instilled in him by his engraver father, Klimt produced "The Theatre in Taormina" for the theater. Completed in 1888, the work won him the Golden Order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria, and, in 1890, the work on the theater as a whole earned Klimt the Emperor's prize.
More allegorical work was created for decorative work of the stairways of the new Künsthistorisches Museum, Vienna's art history museum. In these allegorical paintings, such as "Sculpture" and "Tragedy", Klimt peopled his works with his by now trademark women, more modern, than classical, in poses and hair-dos, that let viewers know the models were from contemporary Viennese society. These lithesome, attractive females confront the viewer with self-assurance and defiant sexuality. As early as "Tragedy" several of Klimt's major motifs are in evidence: the use of metallic gold paint, a reliance on symbolism, emphasis on the female figure and the inventive use of areas of detail, counterpoised against abstract space. Klimt's originality is already evident in these allegorical ornamentations in the expression of movement and of the grand manner and also in the sensitive understanding of the subject, in the gradation of expression and the refined perception of the figures.
Klimt opened a studio of his own with his brother, Ernst, and Franz Matsch, a fellow student, in 1882. The three man called themselves the "Company of Artists". Specializing on executing mural paintings, they were quite successful from the beginning and received commissions from theaters, museums and other public and semi-public institutions.
In 1890, the Klimt brothers and Masch joined the Vienna Artists' Association, a conservative art group, that controlled the majority of the exhibitions in the city. But although Gustav Klimt continued to align himself with the more traditional factions of the art world, he was soon to experience changes in his personal life, that would send him off on a path all his own.
In 1891, Gustav's brother, Ernst, married a woman, named Helene Flöge, and that same year, Gustav painted a portrait of her sister, Emilie, for the first time. This first meeting marked the beginning of what would be a lifelong friendship and one, that would have a meaningful impact on the direction of Klimt's later work. But it was the personal tragedy of the following year, that would have the most significant influence on the course of Klimt's art, when both his father, Ernst Klimt the Elder, and brother, Ernst, died. Profoundly affected by their passing, Klimt began to reject the naturalistic trappings of his training in favor of a more personal style, one, that relied heavily on symbolism and drew from a wide range of influences. With the passing of Ernst Klimt and the direction, in which Gustav's style was heading, the "Company of Artists" was growing steadily more difficult to maintain. They were still receiving commissions, however, and, in 1894, were chosen to paint murals for the ceiling of the Great Hall auditorium at the University of Vienna.
Continuing his quest for a more meaningful, personal artistic freedom, in 1897, Gustav Klimt, together with a group of like-minded artist, resigned their membership in the Vienna Artists' Association and founded a new organization, known as the Vienna Secession, of which Klimt became the first president. Although primarily rejecting classical, academic art, the group did not focus on any one particular style, instead focusing its efforts on supporting young nontraditional artists, bringing international art to Vienna and exhibiting the works of its members. Besides being the first president of the organization, Klimt also served as a member of the editorial staff for its periodical, "Sacred Spring". The first Vienna Secession exhibition was held the following year and was both well attended and popular. Among its featured works was Klimt's painting of the group's symbol, the Greek goddess Pallas Athena. In time, it would come to be seen as the first in a series of works from Klimt's best known and most successful period.
In 1900, "Philosophy", one of the three murals Klimt was developing for the University of Vienna, was exhibited, for the first time, at the seventh Vienna Secession exhibition. Featuring various nude human forms and rather unsettling and dark symbolic imagery, the work caused a scandal among the university faculty. When the other two pieces, "Medicine" and "Jurisprudence", were exhibited in subsequent exhibitions, they were met with an equally indignant response, that ultimately resulted in a petition, urging, that they not be installed at the school, due to their ambiguous and pornographic nature. When, several years later, they were still not exhibited anywhere, an incensed Klimt withdrew from the commission and returned the fee in exchange for his paintings.
Yet despite these frustrations, Klimt's success was reaching its peak during this time. Despite its rejection in Vienna, his "Medicine" was exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris and received the Grand Prix, and, in 1902, his "Beethoven Frieze" was exhibited to great public acclaim. But perhaps most significant, in the early 1900's, Klimt was in the midst of what is commonly referred to as his "Golden Phase". Beginning with his "Pallas Athena" in 1898, Klimt created a series of paintings, that made extensive use of ornamental gold leaf and a flat, two-dimensional perspective, reminiscent of Byzantine mosaics, to create striking iconic figures. Among the most representative of these works are "Judith" (1901), "Danae" (1907) and "The Kiss" (1908).
Perhaps Klimt's most famous work from this period, however, is the 1907 "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I". Commissioned in 1903 by Bloch-Bauer's wealthy industrialist husband, the work remained in the family's possession until it was seized by the Nazis during World War II. Ultimately displayed in the Austrian State Gallery, the painting remained there until one of Bloch-Bauer's nieces, Maria Altmann, filed suit against Austria for its return. Altmann won her case in 2006, and the painting was sold at auction in June of that year for $135 million. The work's storied past has been the subject of numerous books and documentaries and is the focus of the film "Woman in Gold", which stars Helen Mirren as Maria Altmann.
Perhaps nothing can sum up Klimt's later years and work better, than his own words: "I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself as a subject for painting, than I am in other people, above all women." Indeed, the majority of his later work features sketches and painting of women, typically in various states of undress or full nudity.
In 1905, the Vienna Secession split into two groups, one of which formed around Klimt. That same year, he received a commission for the dining room ceiling of the Palais Stoclet, the Brussels home of a wealthy Belgian industrialist. The work was completed in 1910, and, the following year, his painting "Death and Life" received first prize at an international exhibition in Rome. Klimt considered the award among his greatest achievements.
In January 1918, Gustav Klimt suffered a stroke, that left him partially paralyzed. He was subsequently hospitalized, and, while there, contracted pneumonia, of which he died on February 6, 1918. Numerous paintings by him were left unfinished.
Gustav Klimt was a renowned Austrian symbolist painter, also known as one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt gained recognition for the highly decorative style and erotic nature of his works, which were seen as a rebellion against the traditional academic art of his time. His most famous paintings are "The Kiss", "Judith and the Head of Holofernes", "Danaë" and "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer".
It's important to note, that, in 1888, Klimt received the Golden Order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria for his contributions to murals, painted in the Burgtheater in Vienna. His wall painting, titled "Philosophy", received the medal of honor at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900. Besides, in 1911, Klimt's painting, "Death and Life", received first prize at the World exhibitions in Rome.
It's also worth mentioning, that Klimt's paintings have been sold for the highest prices, recorded for individual works of art. His painting, titled "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II", was sold for $150 million in 2016.
Cartoon for the frieze of the Villa Stoclet in Brussels: right part of the tree of life
Cartoon for the Frieze of the Villa Stoclet in Brussels: Fulfillment
design
Draft of a Theater Curtain
Design for a Theater Curtain
drawing
Kneeling Male Nude with Sprawled Out Arms, Male Torso
Portrait of a Man Heading Left
Female Nude
Two Studies of Sitting Nudes
Junius
Adele Bloch-Bauer
Standing Woman in Kimono (Dame im Kimono)
Girl with Hat and Cape in Profil
Portrait of a Girl
Study for Philosophy
Girl with Long Hair, with a sketch for "Nude Veritas"
Emilie Flöge, Aged 17
Tragedy
Reclining Nude Lying on Her Stomach and Facing Right
lithography
Musik
mural
The Beethoven Frieze: The Hostile Powers. Left part, detail
University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings (Medicine), final state
The Beethoven Frieze: The Longing for Happiness Finds Repose in Poetry. Right wall, detail
University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings (Medicine), detail showing Hygieia
The Beethoven Frieze: The Longing for Happiness. Left wall
painting
Sculpture
The Swamp
Philosophy (final state)
Study of the Head of a Blind Man
Birch in a Forest
The Three Ages of Woman
Apple Tree, I
The Black Feather Hat
The Kiss
Fishblood
The Dancer
Sappho
Portrait of a Lady
Old Woman
Portrait Of Eugenia Primavesi
Farmhouse in Upper Austria
Church in Unterach on the Attersee
The Big Poplar II
Pine Forest II
Roses Under the Trees
Danaë
Lady by the Fireplace
Sonja Knips
Nuda Veritas
Chruch in Cassone
Adam and Eva (unfinished)
Country House by the Attersee
The Golden Knight
Death and Life
The Bride (unfinished)
Houses at Unterach on the Attersee
Portrait of Baroness Elisabeth Bachofen-Echt
The Women Friends
Portrait of Emilie Flöge
Lady with Fan
Portrait of a Lady
Mada Primavesi
Judith II (Salome)
Schloss Kammer on the Attersee IV
The Old Burgtheater
Portrait of a Lady
Goldfish
Music
Baby
Idylle (Idylls)
Poppy Field
Portrait of a Man with Beard in Three Quarter Profil
After the Rain (Garden with Chickens in St. Agatha)
Female Organ Player
Blumengarten
Horticultural Landscape with a Hilltop
Jurisprudence (final state)
Portrait of Joseph Pembauer
Malcesine on Lake Garda
Hope I
The Globe Theatre in London
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I
Portrait of Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein
Portrait of Gertha Felssovanyi
Portrait of Maria Munk (unfinished)
Painted Composition Design to Medicine
Lady with Hat and Featherboa
Ode to Klimt
Lady with Cape and Hat
Orchard
The Sunflower
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II
The Virgin
Apple Tree II
Flower Garden
Watersnakes
Portrait of Fritza Riedler
Portrait of a Lady in White (unfinished)
The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze
Park of Schönbrunn
The Tall Poplar Trees II
Buchenhain
Litzlberg am Attersee
Josef Lewinsky
Portrait of Serena Lederer
Beech Grove I
Mother with Children
Portrait of a Man with Beard
Pear Tree
Portrait of a Girl, Head Slightly Turned Left
Lakeside with Birch Trees
Portrait of Hermine Gallia
Portrait of Rose von Rosthorn-Friedmann
Minerva or Pallas Athena
Judith and Holopherne
Island in the Attersee
Fir Forest I
Country Garden with Sunflowers
Fruit Trees
Schubert at the Piano II
Love
Schloss Kammer am Attersee, II
Allegory of Sculpture
Portrait of Johanna Staude
Expectation
Italian Horticultural Landscape
Bewegte Wasser
Farmhouses with Birch Trees
Park
Blooming Field
Portrait of a Woman
Untitled
Amalie Zuckerkandl
Farmhouse with Birch Trees
Januar
The Schloss Kammer on the Attersee, III
Avenue of Schloss Kammer Park
Cows in the Barn
Water Castle
Quiet Pond in the Park of Appeal
The House of Guardaboschi
Garden with Roosters
Two Girls with an Oleander
Landscape Garden (Meadow in Flower)
Water Nymphs (Silverfish)
Farm Garden with Crucifix
Portrait of Marie Breunig
Portrait of a Lady (unfinished)
Fable
Portrait of Helene Klimt
Fredericke Maria Beer
Portrait of Marie Henneberg
poster
Poster for the First Art Exhibition of the Secession Art Movement
Religion
It is most likely, that Klimt was a non-believer (atheist or more likely agnostic). There were a number of life events, which probably added to his indifference towards religion. For example, when he was a young man, one of his sisters became ill, though manically pursuing religion.
Views
Quotations:
"All art is erotic."
"Art is a line around your thoughts."
"There is always hope, as long as the canvases are empty."
"Whoever wants to know something about me…they should look attentively at my pictures and there seek to recognise what I am and what I want."
"Truth is like fire; to tell the truth means to glow and burn."
"True relaxation, which would do me the world of good, does not exist for me."
"Although even when I am being idle I have plenty of food for thought both early and late - thoughts both about and not about art."
Membership
Klimt was one of the founding members and the first president of the Vienna Secession movement, formed in 1897.
Personality
Klimt was a health-conscious man. He was generous to his models, to some of his fellow artists and to the poor.
Physical Characteristics:
It is known, that Klimt was a man of an athletic type with an enormous appetite.
A stroke, aggravated by pneumonia, was the cause of Gustav's death.
Connections
A lifelong bachelor, Klimt had countless affairs during his lifetime, frequently with his models, and fathered some 14 children along the way. His most enduring relationship, however, was with Emilie Louise Flöge, an Austrian fashion designer, whom he met in the early 1890's. Although the full nature of their friendship is unknown, they remained in each other's company for the remainder of his life, and the paintings of landscapes, that make up the bulk of his later non-portrait works, were painted during summers, spent with her and her family near Attersee, a lake in the Salzkammergut region of Austria.
Father:
Ernst Klimt the Elder
(born February 9, 1834 - died July 13, 1892)
Mother:
Anna (Finster) Klimt
(born January 27, 1836 - died February 6, 1915)
Brother:
Ernst Klimt
Ernst Klimt (born January 3, 1864 - died December 9, 1892) was an Austrian history painter and decorative painter.
Brother:
Georg Klimt
(born November 2, 1867 - died September 3, 1931)
Partner:
Emilie Louise Flöge
Emilie Louise Flöge (born August 30, 1874 - died May 26, 1952) was a well-known Austrian fashion designer and businesswoman.
colleague:
Franz von Matsch
Franz von Matsch, also known as Franz Matsch (born September 16, 1861 - died October 5, 1942), was an Austrian painter and sculptor in the Jugendstil style.
References
Gustav Klimt: Life and Work
This book has 96 color plates and 35 drawings in black-and-white and pays tribute to the Austrian painter, Gustav Klimt, who died in 1918, when all Vienna mourned his death.
Gustav Klimt at Home
This work explores the influences of Vienna and other places Klimt travelled to and called home on his life and work.
2018
Gustav Klimt
This accessible illustrated volume traces the life story of Gustav Klimt, drawing on the latest research to evaluate his work. Alma Mahler, Oskar Kokoschka and Carl Moll are among the many luminaries of the period, littering this concise biography, which provides an ideal introduction to the Austrian symbolist painter, who was one of the most prominent exponents of the Vienna Secession.
2014
Gustav Klimt: Art Nouveau Visionary
This work explores Klimt's fascinating artistic career, covering Vienna at the time of the painter's creative peak.
2008
Gustav Klimt: The Magic of Line
This lavishly illustrated publication accompanies the exhibition, organized by the Albertina Museum in Vienna (from March 13, 2012 to June 10, 2012) and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (from July 3, 2012 to September 23, 2012) to mark the 150th anniversary of Gustav Klimt's birth.
