Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Gustav Klimt

Name of a famous Austrian painter, graphic and book illustrator Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) is inextricably linked with the style of Art Nouveau, and his paintings - his most vivid manifestation. Klimt was one of the most interesting and popular representatives of the world of art. He never sought to demonstrate to the public its exclusivity. He worked quietly, quietly, doing only what he thought was necessary, and, meanwhile, the world was not a lot of artists who have been so favored by the public, showered with orders and have not experienced financial difficulties. This is one of the mysteries of Klimt. Klimt was born in the family of the engraver and goldsmith near Vienna. My father could not achieve prosperity through their craft. Family out of poverty will be released only after Gustav, graduated from the School of Decorative Arts, together with his brother Ernst and Franz Match create another company to fulfill the artistic and decorative works. Within a few years, until there was firm, Klimt won fame as the best Austrian painter-decorator. However, the artist was not pleased with himself, his style. All was still ahead. The first lines of his unique style appeared for the first time in the paintings of great staircase of the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum, established in the 1890-1891. In 1897, Klimt was headed Secession - association of artists, created in opposition to the official art. In 1900 he began work proposed by the University of Vienna, and presented one of the painted ceiling - "Philosophy". It was then that the scandal broke. On the ceiling of this, and then on the following - "Medicine" and "Law" - the artist has broken all the laws of color and composition, combining incongruous. On its panels, man is a slave to his nature, obsessed with pain, sex and death. Such Klimt and shocked and fascinated. But the scandal ended with the artist, having to borrow money, returned to the University of advance work and left himself. There were so many orders that it allowed him to quickly repay the debt in the future not to think about money. Began the "golden" period in the works of Klimt. He wrote a great number of paintings, which looked once, will never forget. Whether he writes naked, frankly sensual body ("Girlfriends," "Adam and Eve") or the voltage sense between two lovers ("Love", "The Kiss", "Rapture"), or portraits of women on request (portraits of Sonia Knips, Fritz Ridler, Adele Bloch-Bauer, Eugenia Primavesi and Meda, Frederica Mary Bier) - in any case, has taken a personal vision of the world and man in it. And it is fascinating. Here, for example, painting "The Kiss" . On the dais (platform? Hill?), Strewn with flowers on a background darkened gold shows two young lovers, merged in a kiss. In the picture drawn only the girl's face and head boys, arms around young people and women leg hanging over the abyss like. But most importantly - both figures are hidden decorative clothing, jewelry spirals, ovals, circles and other geometric figures, so it is not immediately be distinguished hidden beneath the figure. The same peculiar manner and for portraits of real women. There are many, women Klimt. Charming face, hair, hands, jewelry, dresses and background but as a magical kaleidoscope, transformed into a unique fantastic scenery. That's how he saw a man, his beauty, weaknesses, fears and passions. And where it was not, was the nature. The artist painted landscapes for yourself. So he rested. Maybe that's why critics have long avoided them to your attention. Today, his landscape painting as the best part of his oeuvre. "Flower Garden", "Country garden with sunflowers", "After the Rain", "glade with poppies", "Birch Grove" almost realistic. Almost, because the decorative plaque is present in them, making scenery light, ghostly, ethereal. Perhaps this is the other side of the personality of the artist: simplicity, serenity and ease, which is lacking in man and his passions.