GUSTAV KLIMT

Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt was born on July 14 1862, in Baumgarten, Austria.

died on 6 February 1918, in Vienna at age 52.

He

Some background
Klimt

was the second eldest of seven children. His family were very poor. Klimts father worked as a jewellery engraver. When klimt was just 14 he quit school, but managed to enroll at a local college of art and craft.

Education
Klimts artistic abilities were soon recognised and he was encouraged to develop them. He applied for and gained a place at Kunstgewerbeschule, one of only two Viennese public art schools. He was so talented that he began to earn a living from commissions while still at school. Klimts early work was realistic.

Idyll 1884 (early work)

Conventional picture. Klimts inspiration for this work came from Michaelangelo. This was the kind of art acceptable to those who commissioned the work. Later klimt would rebel against this very traditional view of art.

Klimt Matshe & Co

Klimt founded a partnership with his brother Ernest and another student, Franz Matshe (Klimt-Matshe & co). The three became successful mural painters, getting contracts from theatres, museums churches and wealthy families.

Decorative Projects

At this time Klimt wanted to be seen as a painter of architectural decorations. The company eventually ceased to exist following the death of Ernest and a rift between Klimt and Matsche.

The Advance of Modern Art

In 1897, Gustav klimt founded the Vienna Secession. The aim of this movement was to give young innovative artists exposure, bring quality foreign art to Vienna and a chance to revolt against the conservative attitudes of the academic art world. Crafts under the Secession were no longer considered inferior to painting and sculpture. The results were increased support for architects, illustrators, designers of furniture, textiles, books and stages.

Success of the Secession

The

first large exhibition of foreign work organised by the Secession had 57000 visitors. Over a third of the exhibition sold. Modern Art had been introduced to Vienna. Klimt wanted to pursue his own individual style of work, technique and subject matter.

Goldfish (1901-02)

As Klimts work developed he frequently used fish and mermaids as symbols of the new freedom in art he was seeking.

The Artist

Later Klimt began to paint in a more innovative and imaginative way until eventually his creations were very decorative and symbolic-meaning that many of the images in his work had hidden meaning.

Artist Materials

Klimt used and combined a variety of media. Gold Paint Silver paint Watercolour Oil Paints Gouache Paints. Semi-precious stones Mirror Glass Ceramics

Inspiration
Klimt

found inspiration from various sources. Classical art Greek art Egyptian art Byzantine mosaics Symbolist art

Beethoven Frieze - 1902

This was for a Beethoven exhibition in the Osterreichische Gallery . Klimt used a variety of media including gold leaf and mother of pearl.

Study for Expectation -Stoclet Palace

By now there were a growing number of buyers prepared to support the new art. Klimt was commissioned to produce work for a modern palace in Brussels.

The Stoclet Frieze 1905-1911

Klimts contribution to the palace was the decoration of the dining room. Klimt produced nine panels for the walls. He chose the Tree of Life as his theme and used a long spiral pattern spreading from its tree trunk.

Tree of Life with Shrub

When working on the the dining room panels, Klimt used symbols and patterns as a means of describing ideas and states of mind. These included leaves in the shape of triangles and flowers in the shape of circles.

The Stoclet Palace

Detail

of the panels from the Stoclet dining room.

The Stoclet Dining Room.

Adele Bloch-Bauer 1907

Klimts frieze in the dining room of the Stoclet Palace was the last of his mural work. He now began to concentrate on portraits of women and landscapes.

Portraits of Women

The Landscapes
Klimt turned to landscape painting late in his career. He travelled to the outskirts of Vienna, and the Italian countryside, seeking inspiration in nature. For Klimt nature became a powerful means of expressing his ideas about life.

Gustav Klimt 1862-1918

In 1917 Klimt was made an honorary member of the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts. The following year at age 55 he suffered a stroke. Weakened by the stroke, and suffering from pneumonia, he died less than a month later on February 6th, 1918.