GUSTAV KLIMT'S YOUTH

Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten, near Vienna (Austria) on July 14, 1862 as the son of an engraver. In 1879 Klimt started attending the Vienna Kunstgewerbe Art School. This study would take him 4 years, till 1883, when he immediately started a studio on his own. Their specalisation were mural paintings, and it gave them a fair bit of success.


THE VIENNA SECESSION (WIENER SEZESSION)

In 1897 Gustav Klimt co-founded the artistic group the Vienna Secession and was elected to be their first president. Already Gustav Klimt had created his own particular style, which would become the trademark of this particular Art Nouveau movement.

Gustav Klimt's style is highly ornamental. The Art Nouveau movement favored organic lines and contours. Klimt used a lot of gold and silver colors in his art work - certainly an heritage from his father's profession as a gold and silver engraver. Klimt's works of art were a scandal at his time because of the display of nudity and the subtle sexuality and eroticism. His best know painting The Kiss, was first exhibited in 1908. As everything coming out of Klimt's hands, it was highly controversial and admired at the same time.

The artist created few paintings on traditional canvas. He saw himself more as a mural painter and decorative artist. He designed posters and worked as an illustrator for magazines - best known Ver Sacrum (The Rite of Spring). Ver Sacrum was more than a magazine. It was a building where artists could exhibit their works and publish their ideas in the magazine. Ver Sacrum was published from 1898 to 1903. From 1900 to 1903 Gustav Klimt worked on commissions by the Vienna University for a series of ceiling murals. For his mural works Klimt used a wide variety of media - metal, glass and ceramics.

However in 1905 Klimt had several arguments with a fellow member and decided to leave the Vienna Secession. Klimt radically changed everything what he was doing and decided to design fashion and jewelry. It was his idea that art should not be confined to art academies, studios and canvases.


GUSTAV KLIMT'S DEATH

Gustav Klimt died on February 6, 1918 in Vienna of pneumonia and was interred at the Hietzing Cemetery, Vienna.