Abstract
A controversial painter, especially in his home city of Vienna, became the outstanding artist of the Austrian “Stilkunstat” at the turn of the century.
A controversial painter, especially in his home city of Vienna, became the outstanding artist of the Austrian “Stilkunstat” at the turn of the century.
Born in 1862 the son of an engraver, Klimt attended the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna for seven years. In 1879 he formed with his brother Ernst, Franz Matsch , a studio where they executed designs primarily of other artists. In 1886 their own designs were given a prize, and in 1890 Klimt received the Emperor’s Prize for painting. In 1892 his brother Ernst died and in 1893 Klimt was nominated for professor at the Vienna Academy but was rejected. In 1894 he obtained the commission to paint the wall decorations for the great hall of the University of Vienna.
In 1897 a group of Viennese artists formed the “Secession” an association to promote the modern arts, and Gustav Klimt was elected its first president. The first exhibition in the following year included works not only of its members but also French, Swiss , and Belgian artists who were considered ultra modern.
In 1900 professors at the university protested against Klimt’s painting. The Ministry of Education disregarded this protest, while the painting received the medal of honor at the Paris World Exhibition of the same year. When Klimt exhibited the second of his wall paintings, “Medicin,” in 1901, protests grew even louder. The issue of Ver Sacrum which contained sketches for this painting was confiscated and later rescinded.
The Secession exhibition of 1902 made Max Klinger’s “Beethoven” sculpture the centerpiece, and Klimt painted a frieze for one of the side entrance halls which was a reference to Schiller’s “Ode to Joy.” This caused a scandal.
 |
| Judith II |
In 1903 the famous “Wiener Werkstaetten” was founded, an artist association dedicated to transforming even everyday objects into works of art, thus making the Austrian Stilkunst an all-embracing design concept. The third of the university paintings, “Jurisprudence,” encountered even greater protests than the two previous ones, and in 1905 Klimt withdrew these works and repaid the Ministry of Culture all advance payments.
By then he had become the most famous portraitist for the wealthy Viennese society, creating icons of beautiful women in which ornamental design and pure elegance dominated. His landscapes have the same jewel-like quality, emphasizing the full bloom of summer. His drawings, primarily of female nudes, are extraordinary in their sensitive realism and their strong eroticism. In 1907 he painted what is probably his most famous work, “The Kiss” and in 1908 he completed the Stoclet-frieze; the palace for which he designed the furniture.
Klimt became one of Europe’s famous artists. Klimt died in 1918 in Vienna .
Gustav Klimt
Biography 