Gustav Klimt

Biography

Second child of a family of seven, Gustav Klimt was born with Baumgarten on July 14th, 1862, beside Vienna, Austria. Wire of Ernest Klimt, goldsmith engraver, and Anna Finster, lyric singer, it follows the courses of the Kunstgewerbeschule of Vienna (School of decorative arts) in the years 1876 - 1883, where he is the pupil of Ferdinand Laufberger. Klimt is also member honorary of the universities of Munich and Vienna.

In 1879, it begins its career as decorator in the team from Hans Makart, with her brother Ernst and Franz Matsch, until in 1891. It carries out in particular many frescos in an academic neo-classic style (as for the Burgtheater of Vienna) and the precision of its portraits is famous. Its artistic qualities are recognized officially, and it receives in 1888 the gold Cross of the artistic merit on behalf of the emperor.

In 1892, with died of his/her brother, starts the rupture with the academism. It fails besides the nomination with the pulpit of painting of history of the Art schools.

At the time of its first personal orders (the pendentive ones of the large staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum), it is released from the academic models, inspired by the Japanese prints, and the symbolism.

With in particular Josef Olbrich, Koloman Moser and Rudolph To cover, it creates on April 3rd 1897 the Wiener Sezession (the Sezession Viennese or Sezessionstil), group of artists breaking with the academism. It also founds a periodical, Ver Sacrum, taking again the activity of this group.

Its main work of this time is a series of allegories painted to illustrate certain matters of the university of Vienna: the Philosophy , the Medicine and the Jurisprudence . These tables offusquent criticism, but first is crowned gold medal of the World Fair of Paris of 1900. These three works are destroyed by the Nazi S in 1945.

In 1902, it paints a large fresco in the honor of Ludwig van Beethoven for the 14th exposure of the Sécession . This plank is the subject of many criticisms, but is appreciated by Auguste Rodin. In 1907, it meets the young painter Egon Schiele whom it much will influence; Klimt will be for Schiele its model and its Master.

In front of the dissensions with many artists of the group, it leaves the “Secession” in 1905, accompanied by Koloman Moser, Carl Moll, Otto Wagner and others. It purifies its style, avoiding, starting from 1909, gold.

Confirmed bachelor, it lives with his mother and his sisters. He however has many mistresses and some children.

He dies on February 6th, 1918 with Vienna of a Pneumonie and is buried in this same city with the Cimetière Hietzing.

Work

Its principal work includes paintings, the frescos, the sketches and other objets d'art, of which several are exposed to the gallery Vienna Secession. The profusion of the details, the richness of the decorations and coloring of it are characteristic, as well as the precision of the portraits. Klimt is known for its use of the Or in paintings, which he discovers after having seen of the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenne: to see the table of right-hand side, Judith I , painted in 1901.

Klimt also paints some landscapes, privileging a square fabric (like much of artist of the Secession ), with an complete absence of characters, which gives an environment of particular serenity. These tables are painted " on the vif" and finished in workshop.

Principal works

murals of the University of Vienna
mosaics of the Palate Stoclet of Brussels
Buchenwald ( Birkenwald ) (1901);
Judith I (1902);
Emilie Floge (1902);
Judith II or Salome (1909) ;
Wasserschlangen I (1904);
Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907);
the Kiss (1907);
Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912);
Die Jungfrau (1913);
the planks Beethoven of the Gallery Secession of Vienna;
the Achievement ;
Waiting ;
Serena Pulitzer Lederer , portrait, oil on fabric, 190,8 X 85,4 cm, Metropolitan Museum off Art, New York.

Others

credits of drawing-animated drawn from the manga " Elfen Lied" be inspired largely by its works.
In 2005, Raoul Ruiz carries out the film Klimt , with John Malkovich in the role of the painter.
In November 2003, its Landhaus amndt Attersee is sold 29,128 million dollars.
Some of the costumes of the film Dracula of Francis Ford Coppola, left in 1992, are directly inspired by works of Gustave Klimt.

Adele Bloch Bauer

In June 2004, the Supreme court of the United States allows Maria Altmann, niece of Adele Bloch Bauer, to continue the Austria to obtain the restitution of six paintings of Klimt flights by the Nazi S in 1938.

Kept by Austria after the war, paintings were visible with the palate of the Belvédère de Vienne. The five tables included celebrates it Adele Bloch-Bauer I called “ Mona Lisa of Autriche ”.

The June 18th 2006, table Adele Bloch-Bauer I is allocated for 135 million dollar at Christie' S. It will be exposed to the museum New Yorkean Neue Galerie .

Gallery

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