These tragedies affected his artistic vision and his pursuit of a personal style. He was forced to assume financial responsibility for his father’s and brother’s family. At the age of 30 Klimt’s father and brother Ernst died. He was second of seven children and the son of a gold engraver. We know that Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten, near Vienna in Austria-Hungary, on July 14, 1862. His paintings required painstaking details and patience. The works most popularly associated with this period are “The Kiss” and “Adele Bloch-Bauer I”. This body of work received positive critical reaction and financial success. Photo: Public Domain.ĭuring Klimt’s “Golden Phase” he produced many paintings that included gold leaf. Reportedly this painting was purchased by Ronald Lauder for a record $135 million in 2006, Neue Galerie, New York. Gustav Klimt, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907, oil silver and gold on canvas, 55.1″ × 55.1″. Klimt remained with the Secession until 1908. The government supported their efforts and gave them a lease on public land to erect an exhibition hall. The goals of the group were to provide exhibitions for unconventional young artists, to bring the works of the best foreign artists to Vienna, and to publish its own magazine to showcase the work of members. This association quickly spread to Austria where Gustav Klimt established the Vienna Seccession with the purpose of raising the level of quality of the arts and crafts in Austria through close ties to Art Nouveau. When Edvard Munch’s paintings were exhibited in Berlin they generated such bitter controversy that a number of radicals broke from the Union of Berlin Artists and formed the Berlin Seccession. In 1892 an international event changed the course of art history. It bears resemblance to the painting “Salome” by Aubrey Beardsley (1872 – 1898). The painting “The Kiss” which is thought to portray the artist with his lover Emilie Louise Flöge they are enveloped in robes inspired by Byzantine mosaics. However, when we probe the depths of art history we discover the origins of Klimt’s inimitable style owe a debt of gratitude to other artistic influences including Egyptian, Minoan, Classical Greek, and Byzantine Byzantine and Japanese art, Art Nouveau, Monet’s Impressionism, the engravings of Albrecht Dürer, late medieval European painting, and Japanese Rimpa school. We can easily recognize a Gustav Klimt painting from across the museum hall. Photo: Google Art Project, Public Domain. Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna. Although his rebellious spirit often attracted criticism he pursued his own artistic vision and enjoyed creative and financial success in his career until he died in at the age of 56 in 1918 soon after having a stroke and pneumonia. His primary subject was the female body and his works are known for their unabashed eroticism. The Austrian Symbolist painter, one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement, was highly recognized for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d’art. The Leopold Museum is situated within a 5-minute walk from the Secession.Gustav Klimt is a much-admired artist by artists and collectors alike.
The trip from the Belvedere Palace to the Secession will take 5 minutes by taxi and is included in the price of the tour. We are also going to have a look at Klimt’s landscapes to see his maturity and complete our tour of his artistic inheritance. We will examine this canvas in detail to understand why it was so significant for his artistic career. The artist reworked his painting, which was an important symbolic act. The characters of this painting used to glimmer with gold until Klimt personally removed all the plating. Our third stop is the Leopold Museum in the Museumsquartier. The Secession installation is Klimt as is, and you will be able to experience that.
This is the only work by this artist that purposely fully surrounds the viewer, which means that this is your chance to become one with art. The Kiss is one of the most iconic tourist landmarks of the city, and we begin our tour at the Belvedere to see this canvas with our own eyes and to understand the historical context and origins of Gustav Klimt.Īfter that, we will go to the exhibition hall of the Secession, an Association of Visual Artists, to see Klimt’s biggest work, the Beethoven Frieze. This is where you can see The Kiss and Judith, the most famous paintings of the vivid “Golden Period”.
#Gustav klimt periods vienna secession full#
This tour is great for those who would like to get a full understanding of Klimt’s art by visiting the three museums that exhibit his most prominent works.įirst, we will visit the Belvedere Palace.