Gustav Klimt Austrian Art Nouveau Painter, 1862-1918
Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 ?C February 6, 1918) was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Art Nouveau (Vienna Secession) movement. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects, many of which are on display in the Vienna Secession gallery. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism--nowhere is this more apparent than in his numerous drawings in pencil.
Klimt's work is distinguished by the elegant gold or coloured decoration, often of a phallic shape that conceals the more erotic positions of the drawings upon which many of his paintings are based. This can be seen in Judith I (1901), and in The Kiss (1907?C1908), and especially in Danaë (1907). One of the most common themes Klimt utilized was that of the dominant woman, the femme fatale. Art historians note an eclectic range of influences contributing to Klimt's distinct style, including Egyptian, Minoan, Classical Greek, and Byzantine inspirations. Klimt was also inspired by the engravings of Albrecht D??rer, late medieval European painting, and Japanese Rimpa school. His mature works are characterized by a rejection of earlier naturalistic styles, and make use of symbols or symbolic elements to convey psychological ideas and emphasize the "freedom" of art from traditional culture.
Beethoven Frieze (mk20) 1902
Left side wall(detail):Yearning for Hap-piness
Die Sehnsucht nach Gluck
Casein paint on plaster
2.2 metres high,13.78 metres long Austrian Gallery,Vienna Painting ID:: 22429
Gustav Klimt Beethoven Frieze (mk20) 1902
Left side wall(detail):Yearning for Hap-piness
Die Sehnsucht nach Gluck
Casein paint on plaster
2.2 metres high,13.78 metres long Austrian Gallery,Vienna
Beethoven Frieze (mk20) 1902
Right side wall(detail):The Yearning for Happiness Finds Fulfilment in Poetry Die Sehnsucht nach Gluck findes Stil-Lungin der Poesie Casein paint on plaster,2.2 metres high,13.81 metres long Austrian Gallery,Vienna Painting ID:: 22431
Gustav Klimt Beethoven Frieze (mk20) 1902
Right side wall(detail):The Yearning for Happiness Finds Fulfilment in Poetry Die Sehnsucht nach Gluck findes Stil-Lungin der Poesie Casein paint on plaster,2.2 metres high,13.81 metres long Austrian Gallery,Vienna
The Kiss (detail) (mk20) 1907/08
Der Kuss
Oil on canvas,180 x 180 cm
Austrian Gallery,Vienna Painting ID:: 22432
Gustav Klimt The Kiss (detail) (mk20) 1907/08
Der Kuss
Oil on canvas,180 x 180 cm
Austrian Gallery,Vienna
Life is a Struggle (The Golden Knight) (mk20) 1903
Das Leben ein Kampf(Der goldene Ritter)
Oil on canvas,100 x 100 cm
Private collection,by permission of the St.Etienne Gallery,New York Painting ID:: 22433
Gustav Klimt Life is a Struggle (The Golden Knight) (mk20) 1903
Das Leben ein Kampf(Der goldene Ritter)
Oil on canvas,100 x 100 cm
Private collection,by permission of the St.Etienne Gallery,New York
Austrian Art Nouveau Painter, 1862-1918
Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 ?C February 6, 1918) was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Art Nouveau (Vienna Secession) movement. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects, many of which are on display in the Vienna Secession gallery. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism--nowhere is this more apparent than in his numerous drawings in pencil.
Klimt's work is distinguished by the elegant gold or coloured decoration, often of a phallic shape that conceals the more erotic positions of the drawings upon which many of his paintings are based. This can be seen in Judith I (1901), and in The Kiss (1907?C1908), and especially in Danaë (1907). One of the most common themes Klimt utilized was that of the dominant woman, the femme fatale. Art historians note an eclectic range of influences contributing to Klimt's distinct style, including Egyptian, Minoan, Classical Greek, and Byzantine inspirations. Klimt was also inspired by the engravings of Albrecht D??rer, late medieval European painting, and Japanese Rimpa school. His mature works are characterized by a rejection of earlier naturalistic styles, and make use of symbols or symbolic elements to convey psychological ideas and emphasize the "freedom" of art from traditional culture.