Gustav Klimt (Best of...)
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Gustav Klimt (Best of...) Details
“I am not interested in myself as a subject for painting, but in others, particularly women…”Beautiful, sensuous and above all erotic, Gustav Klimt’s paintings speak of a world of opulence and leisure, which seems aeons away from the harsh, post-modern environment we live in now. The subjects he treats – allegories, portraits, landscapes and erotic figures – contain virtually no reference to external events, but strive rather to create a world where beauty, above everything else, is dominant. His use of colour and pattern was profoundly influenced by the art of Japan, ancient Egypt, and Byzantium. Ravenne, the flat, two-dimensional perspective of his paintings, and the frequently stylised quality of his images form an oeuvre imbued with a profound sensuality and one where the figure of woman, above all, reigns supreme. Klimt’s very first works brought him success at an unusually young age. Gustav, born in 1862, obtained a state grant to study at Kunstgewerbeschule (the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts) at the age of fourteen. His talents as a draughtsman and painter were quickly noticed, and in 1879 he formed the Künstlercompagnie (Artists’ Company) with his brother Ernst and another student, Franz Matsch. The latter part of the nineteenth century was a period of great architectural activity in Vienna. In 1857, the Emperor Franz Joseph had ordered the destruction of the fortifications that had surrounded the medieval city centre. The Ringstrasse was the result, a budding new district with magnificent buildings and beautiful parks, all paid for by public expenses. Therefore the young Klimt and his partners had ample opportunities to show off their talents, and they received early commissions to contribute to the decorations for the pageant organised to celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of the Emperor Franz Joseph and the Empress Elisabeth. In 1894, Matsch moved out of their communal studio, and in 1897 Klimt, together with his closest friends, resigned from the Künstlerhausgenossenschaft (the Cooperative Society of Austrian Artists) to form a new movement known as the Secession, of which he was immediately elected president. The Secession was a great success, holding both a first and second exhibition in 1898. The movement made enough money to commission its very own building, designed for it by the architect Joseph Maria Olbrich. Above the entrance was its motto: “To each age its art, to art its freedom.” From around 1897 onward, Klimt spent almost every summer on the Attersee with the Flöge family. These were periods of peace and tranquillity in which he produced the landscape paintings constituting almost a quarter of his entire oeuvre. Klimt made sketches for virtually everything he did. Sometimes there were over a hundred drawings for one painting, each showing a different detail – a piece of clothing or jewellery, or a simple gesture. Just how exceptional Gustav Klimt was is perhaps reflected in the fact that he had no predecessors and no real followers. He admired Rodin and Whistler without slavishly copying them, and was admired in turn by the younger Viennese painters Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka, both of whom were greatly influenced by Klimt.
Reviews
For the price, this is best Klimt book on the market. I probably should qualify that by adding, 'when available'.Klimt's art is in a category of its own. Though often described as an Art Nouveau artist I can't think of anyone else who produced comparable work. As a consequence his appeal will never be universal. As the saying goes - you either hate him or you love him. I don't know if my appreciation has quite reached the infatuation stage but I do find his work fascinating (enough, in fact, to have purchased that mammoth, Taschen back-breaker).This Parkstone edition offers a wide selection of his paintings and includes most of the masterworks. For someone interested in an inexpensive introduction this should fit the bill nicely. The reproduction quality is more than could be hoped for in a publication in this price range. The book is well bound and has an attractive and substantial dust jacket. At 200 pages there's a lot of bang for the buck between those two covers.Glad I made the purchase. As I stated, I own the Taschen "Grosse Buch", but I will pull the Parkstone edition off the shelf 20 times as often. As gorgeous as the Taschen volume is it's not exactly easy to access. And frankly, Bade's book concentrates all of the most important paintings in a much more convenient format.Amazon's inventory of this book seems to change from week to week. If you are contemplating a purchase, and it is in stock, don't hesitate. When it's unavailable from Amazon outside seller's prices can go through the roof overnight. I would recommend buying this book even if you own other Klimt titles. It really is worth clearing a space for.