Person Of Influence: Gustav Klimt

http://www.klimtkiss.com

Gustav Klimt was born in the Austrian Empire in 1862. Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Succession; a group of artists that broke away from the traditional way of painting. Many of Klimt's paintings incorporate the female body. (ABOVE) "The Kiss" was painted by Klimt between 1907 and 1908. The painting shows the intimacy between two people in love. The elaborate robes that the couple is wearing is influenced by the contemporary Art Nouveau style and the organic forms of the earlier Arts and Crafts movement. The painting is oil paint with applied layers of gold leaf. The painting is arguably Klimt's most popular piece (BELOW 1) "Adele Bloch-Bauer I" is arguably Klimt's most famous piece. Ferdinand Bloch-Baue was a wealthy man who made his money in the Sugar Industry. He commissioned Klimt to paint a portrait of his wife. In 2006, the painting was sold for $135 million dollars. It took Klimt approximately 3 years to complete the painting. The painting shares similar qualities to "The Kiss". (BELOW 2) "Hope II" was painted between 1907 and 1908. "Hope II" is an iconic piece because it was rare to depict a pregnant women in art during that time. I just love all the patterns and textures in this piece, it's very elegant. (BELOW 3) "Death and Life" is one of my favorite piece by Klimt. The Grim Reaper looks onto life with a grin. Life is represented by different people of all ages. Death can take individual people, but it cannot take humanity as a whole. What do you think of Gustav Klimt's work?

http://en.wikipedia.org
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http://www.canvasreplicas.com
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http://www.tumblr.com
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