Gustav Klimt

In 1902, the Secession's exhibition became a celebration of Beethoven, who was enjoying cult hero status with the Viennese bohemians. Josef Hoffman decorated the interior of the Secession House, in which was installed Klimt's Beethoven Frieze. It was a sprawling tribute to the composer's Ninth Symphony made with casein paint, stucco and gilt, which were now becoming a Klimt trademark . The allegories on the frieze were bitterly criticized for being repellent; and because the pictures contained a copius amount of female genitalia, visitors to the exhibit were appalled. August Rodin, the great sculptor, visited the exhibit in 1902 and congratulated and praised the work. The Secession, however, was affected by the public's response, and Klimt decided to leave the group.

In 1905, Belgian industrialist Adolphe Stoclet commissioned Klimt and Josef Hoffman from the Vienna Workshop to work on his new home in Vienna. Klimt created a three-part mosaic frieze made of marble inlaid with gold, enamel and precious stones. The nine panels that comprise the frieze use a motif of Oriental art, which Klimt was studying to accommodate Stoclet's taste. Klimt's use of Oriental motifs, gold and Byzantine patterns reached its zenith in his most famous work, The Kiss (1907). The Kiss portrayed a lovers' embrace and was unusual for Klimt in that it featured a male figure. The figures, in fact, were based on Klimt and his lover, Emilie Fogle. His painting Danae, also from 1907, was another example of Klimt's gold period and had the mythical shower of gold pouring between Danae's open thighs.

Klimt's palette changed with the popularity of Expressionism , and his gold gave way to the colors favored by fauvists such as Matisse and Bonnard. His themes remained the same, however, in works like Death and Life (1916), and he continued painting his remarkable landscapes and flowers, something he did on his vacations as a relaxation.

In 1916, Klimt suffered a paralyzing stoke, and on February 6 , 1918, Klimt died leaving many works unfinished.

The best Klimt site on the web is the Klimt Museum at http://www.magma.ca/~alexxi/klimt/1klimt...

There is also a Klimt virtual gallery that's a bit trickier to navigate at http://www.magma.ca/~alexxi/klimt/1klimt...

-Nick Burton

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