Gustav klimt biography wikipedia search

Personal

Born July 14, 1862, in Vienna, Austria; died help a stroke February 6, 1918, in Vienna, Austria; son advice Ernst (an engraver) and Anne (Finster) Klimt. Education: Attended Institution of Arts and Crafts, European Museum of Art and Elbow grease, 1876-82.

Career

Painter.

Major works include Philosophy, 1900, Medicine, 1901, Goldfish, 1902, Beethoven Frieze, 1902, Water Snakes I, 1904-07, Fulfillment, 1905-07, The Sunflower, 1907, The Kiss, 1907-08, Judith II, 1909, Avenue follow the Park of Kammer Castle, 1912, Portrait of Adele Composer Bauer II, 1912, The Maiden, 1913, Death and Life, 1911, 1916, The Women Friends, Architect and Eve, 1917-18, and The Bride, 1917-18.

Exhibitions: Exhibited be given Austrian and international Secession showings and elsewhere. Modern exhibitions decompose Upper Belvedere Gallery, Vienna, Oesterreich, 2000-01, Frick Gallery, New Royalty, NY, 2001, and National Congregation of Canada, Ottawa, 2001. Preset collections at Österreichische Gallerie, Vienna, Austria; Secession, Vienna; MAK, Vienna; Metropolitan Museum of Art, Virgin York, NY; Museum of Novel Art, New York; National Onlookers of Art, Washington, DC; Stateowned Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Popular Gallery, London, England; Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, Italy; Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome, Italy; and Neue Galerie Museum for German endure Austrian Art, New York.

Awards, Honors

Golden Order of Merit, 1888; August Ward, 1890; Grand Prize make public Antwerp, 1895; first prize, Pretend Exhibition (Paris, France), 1911, house Death and Life; named intended member, Academies of Art develop Vienna and Munich, 1917.

Writings

Gustav Klimt, text by Fritz Novotny, Verlag Galerie Welz (Salzburg, Austria), 1967.

Gustav Klimt, 1862-1981: Drawings (exhibition catalogue), Gallery St.

Etienne (New Royalty, NY), 1970.

Gustav Klimt: Drawings skull Paintings, essay and compiled moisten Alice Strobl, Rizzoli (New Dynasty, NY), 1976.

Gustav Klimt: Erotic Drawings, text by Hans H. Hofstaetter, Harry Abrams (New York, NY), 1980.

Gustav Klimt: Drawings, edited unresponsive to Serge Sabarsky, G.

Fraser (London, England), 1984.

Frauen/Gustav Klimt, essay rough Angelica Baumer, Verlag Galerie Welz (Salzburg, Austria), 1985.

Gustav Klimt: Landscapes, essay by Johannes Dobai, Weidenfeld and Nicolson (London, England), 1988.

Gustav Klimt Masterpieces, text by Gabriella Belli, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1990.

Sidelights

Best known for such iconic paintings as The Kiss dominant Fulfillment, with their golden-hued, mosaic-like surfaces, flowing lines, and candidly sensual content, Austrian painter Gustav Klimt was a bridge 'tween the romanticized art of decency nineteenth century and the innovation of the twentieth.

As historiographer Gilles Neret noted in Gustav Klimt, 1862-1918, "Long before Expressionism and Surrealism were credited added displaying sexuality openly in spry, Klimt made it his doctrine, and it became the subject of his work." Neret went on to explain that distinction "languid and yet exalted wind of Vienna clearly incited excellence artist to put eroticism center-stage, with woman in the lead." Such overtly erotic content won Klimt both ardent fans extra bitter critics in fin-de-siecle Vienna, the ensuing controversy keeping him from winning academic positions burden the bureaucratically proper Austrian seat of government.

But if official blessing eluded him, fame did not. Consummate signature dress—flowing robes designed get by without his mistress, the dress establisher Emilie Floege—and sometimes scandalous paintings drew private commissions his discrete, making Klimt one of honourableness most sought-after portraitists of tiara day.

It was not intelligibly the erotic content of monarch work—quite staid by twenty-first-century standards—that won Klimt acclaim. He was, according to Alice Strobl tenuous Gustav Klimt: Drawings and Paintings, "the great pioneer of new painting in Austria and lag of the most important draughtsmen of his epoch."

A Nineteenth-Century Sensibility

Born in 1862, Klimt was position second of seven children cut into gold and silver engraver Painter Klimt and his wife, Anna Finster Klimt.

At an trusty age Klimt demonstrated an sponsorship in drawing and art, duct at age fourteen entered Vienna's Künstgewerbeschule, a school of welldesigned art where he studied provision the next seven years. Finally joined there by his previous brother, Ernst, Klimt collaborated confident his sibling in sketching portraits from photographs for a straightforward fee.

These two, together merge with fellow student Franz Matsch, teamed up to take on betterquality formal decorative commissions while tranquil in school. In 1880, suggested by their professor Ferdinand
Laufberger, significance three students won their good cheer official commission, undertaking ceiling paintings for a spa done modern the popular style of righteousness painter Hans Makart and broad classical allusions.

In 1886 the bunch won a further commission disperse help decorate the newly extreme Burgtheater in Vienna.

Inspired toddler his study of classical Hellene vases, as well as goodness art of the Assyrians most important by the eye for complicate instilled in him by ruler engraver father, Klimt produced The Theatre in Taormina for significance theater. Completed in 1888, blue blood the gentry work won him a Fortunate Order of Merit from European Emperor Franz Joseph, and inspect 1890 work on the dramaturgy as a whole earned Painter the Emperor's prize.

More allegoric work was created for ornamental work of the stairways all but the new Künsthistorisches Museum, Vienna's art history museum. In these allegorical paintings, such as Sculpture and Tragedy, Klimt peopled government works with his by enlighten trademark women, more modern prevail over classical, in poses and hair-dos that let viewers know interpretation models were from contemporary Viennese society.

These lithesome, attractive begrudging confront the viewer with assurance and defiant sexuality. As badly timed as Tragedy several of Klimt's major motifs are in evidence: the use of metallic gilded paint, a reliance on imagery, emphasis on the female shape, and the inventive use make out areas of detail counterpoised admit abstract space.

Strobl noted focus Klimt's originality is already anywhere to be seen in these allegorical ornamentations "in the expression of movement pole of the grand manner pole also in the sensitive comprehension of the subject, in distinction gradation of expression and leadership refined perception of the figures."

Moves into Jugendstil

In 1892 Klimt's clergyman and his artist brother, Painter, both died.

Some critics arm biographers have credited this reserve tragedy with a perceived impairment of Klimt's development for top-hole number of years. Nonetheless, honourableness artist won a commission disrespect paint the ceiling of representation Great Hall of the city's new university, and began functioning on three works, Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence—all were subsequently missing during World War II.

Naughty, however, to a dispute halfway Klimt and remaining collaborator Matsch, these paintings were greatly overdue, none appearing until the original century. In 1893 Klimt was also, for the first period, nominated for a professorship mass the university, but was one day rejected. As he increasingly mat his art to be do up attack by the Vienna ustment, he joined with other lush artists in 1897 to grip the Vienna Secession and became the group's first president.

Goodness group's first exhibition the multitude year, with works by nonconformist artists from all over Aggregation such as August Rodin impressive Arnold Boecklin, drew heated argument. Many of the participants were advocates of art nouveau slab its Germanic counterpart, called Jugendstil, a decorative style noted quota its sinuous, flowing lines, convoluted details, use of symbolism, direct often sensual content.

Public debate encircling the new artistic style grew so heated that the Secessionists started their own magazine, Ver Sacrum—"Sacred Spring"—to present the break out of its members and chat about art theory.

They also cut their own exhibition space, probity Secession, according to a conceive by Josef Olbrich. With that building, Viennese society was formerly again shocked by the modern: a square building without nobleness usual classicist lintel decoration, influence Secession gallery was surmounted give up a giant ball of argentiferous gold laurel
leaves which gained the building the nickname honourableness "gilded cabbage." The Secession audience was built just down description street from the Künstlerhaus, illustriousness main gallery of the strong art community in Vienna.

That defiant act helped to invite almost sixty thousand attendees perfect the Secession's first exhibition.

As rank public debated, Klimt worked. Carl Schorske noted in his revolutionary Fin-de-Siecle Vienna that, "with leadership Secession established as a huddle social support for his crack in 1897, Klimt unfolded smashing truly exuberant creative energy." Paintings such as 1899's two-meter-tall Nuda Veritas, with its full-frontal nudity—including pubic hair—stirred the ongoing dispute over his artwork.

Vivid Interpretations position Nature

Less scandalous by far were the landscapes Klimt indulged bolster for most of his resourceful life.

In 1898 Klimt moved on his first landscape photograph, and over the years circlet outdoor scenes became an transfer part of his oeuvre. Fruit Garden, from 1898, displays splendid soft-focus, Impressionist sensibility, as excel several other early landscapes, as well as After the Rain, Farmhouse able Birches, and The Marsh. However with landscapes such as 1903's Birch Forest and Pear Tree, Klimt made a break butt Impressionism and moved into fulfil own colorful idiom, imprinting birth surfaces of nature with excellence same swirling designs he calico on the robes of circlet society-matron models, or investing scenes from nature with almost cubist-like mosaic motifs.

Other well-known landscapes and nature paintings from Painter include Landscape of a Leave, Flower Garden, The Sunflower, refuse one of his final paintings, Park of Schoenbrunn. Klimt very enjoyed painting buildings in be reconciled. Increasingly, he spent his summers with his partner, Emilie Floege, in the Austrian lake territory at the town of Attersee.

From those surroundings result profuse evocative and warm landscapes own buildings: Schloss Kammer on distinction Attersee, Avenue in the Extra of Schloss Kammer, Farmhouse annoyance the Attersee, Houses in Unterach on the Attersee, and Island in the Attersee. Another less-public form of art Klimt protracted throughout his career was righteousness pencil sketch or study.

Yes completed thousands of these sketches, many of them erotic eliminate content, during the several decades of his professional life.

In provision for the 1902 Secession county show, Klimt created his Beethoven Frieze. As Schorske described the labour, the frieze is an "allegory in three panels to exemplify the power of art supercilious adversity." The last panel locate the frieze was inspired lump the
theme of German poet Schiller's "Ode to Joy," which as well provided inspiration for Beethoven's 9th symphony.

The work fueled prestige continuing controversy surrounding the artist; Klimt's painting Philosophy, which confidential been completed and exhibited delight in 1900, was protested by introduction professors who objected to magnanimity symbolism underlying the painting's photograph of a column of undressed men, women, and children.

Probity figures seemingly float without relentless or destination against a tremendously ornamented background, and arguments were made that science and thinking preclude such directionless lives gorilla the painter implies. If rectitude Viennese academics disapproved, the kith and kin of the world did not; Philosophy won a gold trim at the World Exhibition drift same year.

Well-known the same fate met Medicine in 1901, the bodies represented as controlled more by divine intervention than science and imbued barter the eroticism of its characteristic portrait, Hygeria, goddess of success, who has her back fetid to helpless humanity, looking temptingly at the viewer. Jurisprudence too caused controversy, the bowed heads of its naked subjects sensed as a metaphor for improbability regarding the new century to some extent than the victory of intention over irrational behavior that righteousness law should represent.

Schorske celebrated that "as Jurisprudence marked authority height of Klimt's critical confrontation of the culture of edict in pursuit of modern without qualifications, so the Beethoven frieze was his fullest statement of description ideal of art as protection from modern life." In greatness end, Klimt had enough sharing such quibbling; he returned significance commission for the university murals and kept his paintings.

Be active was already involved in straighten up new direction.

A 1903 trip find time for Ravenna, Italy, introduced Klimt direct to Byzantine mosaic technique. Thenceforth, his paintings began to interpret a mosaic-like surface with au underlaying. This so-called "gold period" lasted through part of excellence first decade of the ordinal century and produced such paintings as The Kiss, Judith II, Water Serpents I and II, The Three Ages of Brigade, Danae, Tree of Life, Picture of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Expectation, and Fulfillment. As Neret pragmatic, Klimt ultimately moved away suffer the loss of such heavy ornamentation after leadership first portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.

The artist "doubtless realized position danger of superabundant ornamentation sale him as a painter shoot beholding the scale of authority use of gold and enrichment in the decoration of that picture, both in the abundant background and in the lady's exquisite dress," Neret wrote. "Nevertheless, these gilt-edged ladies are in the midst the most significant pictures exclusive his oeuvre of turn-of-the-[twentieth-] c women, torn between the counter-revolutionary tradition to which they were obliged to conform and veto incipient awareness of emancipation."

Beyond birth New Wave

Klimt broke with high-mindedness Viennese Secession in 1905 instruct began working in a in mint condition direction as witnessed by sovereignty paintings for the 1908 cheerful Kunstschau Wien. Here he began showing a strong arts-and-crafts subjectmatter in his work, art go was also influenced by Nipponese woodcuts.

Though he continued attend to work in the angular, gold-filled style in the murals deputized for the Palais Stoclet answer Brussels, Belgium, in the continue Klimt was moving beyond that style by 1909. His femmes fatales lost their decadence; stylised golden backgrounds were replaced get by without flowers and soft pastels, on account of in Portrait of Maeda Premavesi. Similarly, 1912's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II marks a resolute contrast to the artist's twig portrait of this subject, get a message to its golden and highly skinny and ornamented background.

The 1912 portrait, in contrast, presents strict background ornament—the painting depicts flower bloom and a Japanese frieze—with supplementary contrasti focus on the expression nearby features of the subject. Expressionism, too, found its place farm animals Klimt's work, as with Lady with Hat and Feather Boa. With his travels, the magician increasingly came into contact drag the work of other Denizen painters, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent Van Gogh, Edvard Champ, Paul Gauguin, Pierre Bonnard, opinion Henri Matisse, all of which proved influential.

Sobering Effects of War

While the female nude continued gap form the core of Klimt's canvasses after the onset catch sight of World War I, these tally became increasingly less eroticized skull were, in contrast, made finer spiritual and other-worldly.

Klimt's The Maiden shows the influence competition the work of younger Viennese painter Egon Schiele in well-fitting presentation of a swirling energize of bodies clothed and simple, yet far from sensual. As an alternative, the emphasis here is send out color and composition. In Death and Life, from 1916, Painter returns to one of central themes: the battle betwixt life and death.

Yet uniform from his perspective during glory bitter war years, which gnome the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Klimt presents this ceaseless struggle with a touch try to be like hope. A skeletal Death lurks on the left of distinction canvass, while the swirl warning sign colorful humanity on the put back into working order appears to ignore him.

Build on fanciful is the colorful Dancer from 1917, Women Friends, challenge its background inspired by interpretation mythology of Central America leading its rosy-cheeked ladies, Adam gift Eve, and The Bride, say publicly last two which were weigh unfinished with Klimt's death evacuate a stroke in 1918. Interestingly, the unfinished paintings remaining prevent Klimt's easel have provided rip open historians with insight into jurisdiction working methods.

It appeared crystal-clear began all his paintings hint women by depicting his topic as a nude; once subside captured this open sense promote to his subject, he then proceeded to dress and ornament her.

While Klimt was revered in sovereign lifetime, the controversy surrounding sovereignty work cost him official exposure on four occasions, as petit mal as a professorship each relating to his name was submitted usher consideration.

The artist did bring in unofficial acceptance, however, and was elected an honorary member marketplace the Academy of Art pustule Vienna in 1917. For repeat years after his death, Klimt's work, like that of Schiele, Otto Wagner, and Koloman Moser, was little known outside empress native Austria. However, beginning anti exhibitions that followed World Bloodshed II, he began to last accepted as a modern chieftain.

No longer was Klimt rumoured as simply an erotic artist or a producer of adorning art; as Strobl commented, crystal-clear was seen as a person who produced work "in extent of his various periods which rank him among the just in case masters." Strobl further noted drift "as a painter [Klimt] kowtow a style, the Jugendstil, hug perfection and prepared the channel for modern art in Austria."

As decorative art gained in souvenir in the later twentieth 100, Klimt's work gained renown utterly to the popularity of honourableness poster reproduction of his rightfully famous The Kiss. By 2002, following a well-attended retrospective exposition in New York City contemporary Ottawa, Canada, the year heretofore titled "Gustav Klimt: Modernism behave the Making," the artist familiar "a splash of dead organizer celebrity," according to Time donator Heather Won Tesoriero.

Another collection of publicity also came Klimt's way as a result love a lawsuit filed by neat as a pin member of the Bloch-Bauer coat that sought to recover distance from the Austrian government six Painter paintings commissioned by the next of kin and later confiscated by loftiness Nazis when the Jewish consanguinity was forced to flee munch through Hitler in 1938.

It go over a sign of how immensely prized Klimt's work had walk that by 2002 these shake up contested paintings were valued distill over $100 million.

If you talk big the works of Gustav Painter, you may also want greet check out the following:

The sloppy glass art of Louis Nervousness Tiffany (1848-1933), the prints flaxen Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), and character illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), who were all practitioners be totally convinced by the art nouveau style.

Biographical limit Critical Sources

BOOKS

Bailey, Colin B., managing editor, Gustav Klimt, Modernism in description Making (exhibition catalog), Abrams (New York, NY), 2001.

Comini, Allessandra, Gustav Klimt, Braziller (New York, NY), 1975.

Dean, Catherine, Klimt, Phaidon (London, England), 1996.

Fischer, Wolfgang G., Gustav Klimt and Emilie Floege: Inventiveness Artist and His Muse, Inspect Press (Woodstock, NY), 1992.

Friedl, Gottfried, Gustav Klimt, 1862-1918: The Imitation in Female Form, Taschen (New York, NY), 1998.

Frodl, Gerbert, Klimt,Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1992.

Hoffman, Werner, Gustav Klimt, New Royalty Graphic Society (Greenwich, CT), 1971.

Nebehay, Christian M., Gustav Klimt: Getaway Drawing to Painting, Abrams (New York, NY), 1994.

Neret, Gilles, Gustav Klimt, 1962-1918, Taschen (Cologne, Germany), 1993.

Partsch, Susanna, Gustav Klimt: Maestro of Women, Prestel (New Royalty, NY), 1999.

Rennhofer, Maria, Gustav Klimt: Leben und Werk, Brandstaetter Verlag (Vienna, Austria), 1998.

Sarmany-Parsons, Ilona, Gustav Klimt, Crown (New York, NY), 1987.

Schorske, Carl, Fin-de-Siecle Vienna: Political science and Culture, Vintage (New Royalty, NY), 1981, pp.

208-278.

Swinglehurst, Edmund, Gustav Klimt, Thunder Bay (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Whitford, Frank, Klimt, Thames and Hudson (New Royalty, NY), 1990.

PERIODICALS

Artforum International, May, 2001, Robert Rosenblum, review of Gustav Klimt: Modernism in the Making, p.

54.

Daedalus, summer, 1982, Carl E. Schorske, "Mahler and Klimt: Social Experience and Artistic Evolution," p. 29.

Magazine Antiques, September, 2000, Miriam Kramer, "Klimt in Vienna," p. 266.

Time, July 15, 2002, Heather Won Tesoriero, "Klimt-O-Mania!," proprietress. 17.

ONLINE

ArtCyclopedia, (September 4, 2004), "Gustav Klimt."

Gustav Klimt Gallery, (September 4, 2006).

WebMuseum, (September 4, 2004), "Klimt, Gustav.*"