{"id":98,"date":"2022-11-11T03:40:05","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T03:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/marrincoulter\/?p=98"},"modified":"2022-11-11T03:40:05","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T03:40:05","slug":"gustav-klimt-his-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eportfolios.capilanou.ca\/marrincoulter\/2022\/11\/11\/gustav-klimt-his-mark\/","title":{"rendered":"Gustav Klimt: His Mark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A brief exploration of Gustav Klimt’s life and legacy<\/strong><\/sub><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Gustav Klimt was born outside of Vienna in July of 1862; his father was a gold engraver and his mother was musical. Although Klimt grew up in poverty, there was an abundance of creativity in the family, and he displayed a talent for the arts at an early age. His career began at the age of 14 when he received a full scholarship to attend the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, where he was trained in the classical style that was prevalent at the time, and specialized in architectural painting. He would continue exploring this academic style for the first few years of his career, joining the conservative Vienna Artists\u2019 Association alongside his brother Ersnt, who he shared a studio with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gustav Klimt, The Auditorium of the Old Burgtheater, circa 1888-89<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when both his brother and father died in 1892, there occurred a shift in his style. In his grief, he began to contemplate the human condition. This fascination with the psychological pushed him to begin exploring themes of desire, dreams, and mortality. Rejecting the traditional, conservative way in which he was trained, he and a group of like-minded artists resigned from the Vienna Artists\u2019 Association. In 1897 they founded a new organization called the Vienna Secession, which aimed to promote nontraditional artists, establish the exchange of ideas with artists outside of Vienna, and renewed Gesamtkunstwerk or \u201ctotal art\u201d, which unified painting, architecture and the decorative arts. They completely rejected the traditional art establishment that favoured classicism, rationality and naturalism. With the creation of an exhibition space called the Secession Building, international artists and art movements were introduced to Vienna, influencing the European Art Nouveau movement. Klimt would be nominated as president of the organization, and serve as a member of the editorial staff for its magazine Var Sacrum (Sacred Spring), a spearhead for the Secessionists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Left: Isabella d’Este but Titian, circa 1534-36 Right: Judith and the Head of Holofernes by Gustav Klimt, circa 1901<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

During this period, Klimt continued to explore his artistic style; he began employing gold leaf reminiscent of Byzantine mosaics, and composed with the flat shapes and patterns similar to the art flowing into Vienna from the Japonisme movement. His new works were decorative, eclectic and fantastical, and considered quite erotic in nature. Another of his influences came from a dear friend of his, Emilie Fl\u00f6ge, a fashion designer whose flowing, corsetless dresses inspired the garments adorning his painted figures. In addition to the female figure, Klimt also explored different genres in his works like landscape painting. He created decorative wall hangings, and continued to do murals for buildings, collaborating with his Secessionist peers in the \u201ctotal art\u201d style. Though his work was often controversial, Klimt experienced great fame in his career, and went on to mentor fledgling artists like Egon Schiele, who became a major name in the Expressionist movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Top: Courtesan of the Ogiva Brothel by Kikukawa Eizan, circa 1810-1815 Bottom Left: Baby (Cradle) by Gustav Klimt, circa 1914-1918 Bottom Right: Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt, circa 1907<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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