Gustav Klimt: A Glimpse Into the Mind of An Austrian Symbolist Arstist

Born July 14, 1862, Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter and activist in the Vienna Secession. His art includes sketches, paintings, and murals for the most part. The center of most of his art is the female body with a signature touch of eroticism in his works. His most famous works include “Gold Coin,” “The Kiss,” “Beethoven Frieze,” and the portrait of “Adele Bloch-Bauer I.” Many thought his works to be outrageous and even pornographic, but still his works were sought out by high bidders. Even today his works are admired and coveted, some sold for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Born in Austria-Hungary to a gold-engraver father Ernst Klimt and mother Anna Klimt, Gustav lived most of his childhood in poverty. The second oldest of seven children, Gustav and his two brothers all were said to have displayed artistic talent early on. Of them, only Gustav was accepted to the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, where he studied architectural painting until 1883. He then accepted academic work from Hans Makart, a historical painter.

Later, he helped to create a team of artists with his friends and brother Ernst called the “Company of Artists.” Together they painted murals in art museums and other Public Buildings in Vienna. In 1888, Klimt received the Golden Order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria for painting murals in Burgtheater in Vienna. He also became an honary member of the University of Munich and the University of Vienna. In 1892, his father and brother Ernst died tragically and he assumed financial responsibility for both families and soon met Emilie Floge, the woman who was to be his companion until the end of his life. Though he presumably had numerous affairs with other women throughout his life, Emilie Floge remained by his side all through his life. He fathered at least 14 children. Resuming work after such tragic ends, Klimt reflected this on all future works.

In 1897 Klimt became a founding member and official president of the Vienna Secession, an organization that focused its efforts on bringing the best foreign art to the country, assisting young artists in exhibiting their work, and publishing a magazine to showcase the work of its members. He went on to paint murals in many university and other public buildings as well as private paintings as he was quite famous by this time. He died in 1918 after suffering from a stroke and pneumonia due to the Influenza epidemic of 1918. Much of his artworks were left unfinished, but fame remained and grew further after his untimely death.

The Painted Word