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Victoria Burrows

Also known as: The decorator

Life: July 14, 1862 - February 6, 1918

Country: Austria

Medium: Painter, illustrator, decorator

Style: Art nouveau

Poor beginnings

Klimt was born into a very poor family. His father was a failed gold engraver and they were in desperate need of money, as were many people in 1860s Vienna.

His family moved around a lot, living in small, dark houses wherever they could afford.

Klimt left school when he was 14 and enrolled in an art and craft college.

His teachers immediately noticed his artistic talents and told him to apply to one of the public art schools. He was accepted.

Along with his brother and another art student, he began to take on decorations in new buildings and made a lot of money.

Klimt stamped his mark  on  the Austrian art scene with  his decorations in theatres and an art museum in Vienna.

When he was 30, he rented his own studio and began to paint.

Major themes

The major themes of Klimt's art are love, death, sexuality and rebirth.

His paintings were  highly controversial at the time as they were  unusual and often erotic.

They  were sometimes displayed behind a screen because some thought

that Klimt's work could corrupt the minds of young people.

His style

Klimt  often used a lot of gold paint and his works usually featured swirling abstract patterns.

He painted mainly landscapes and women.

In The Accomplishment (above), most of the canvas is covered with gold.

His love of gold may have been influenced by his father's job.

But it is also possible  that Klimt saw himself as a decorator and  wanted his paintings to be beautiful.

There was a new middle class emerging  in Vienna around this time, and many people wanted to have expensive-looking artworks  in their homes to show off their wealth.

Klimt sold many paintings at exhibitions.

He also illustrated books and was paid to create artworks for individuals, churches and public buildings.

He is described as the leading painter of the art nouveau (new art) movement.

Art nouveau  is an artistic, architectural and design style inspired by the curves of leaves, vines and flowers.

In The Accomplishment, the background is made up of swirling, vine-like patterns.

The embracing figures may arouse the viewer's emotions, but the background is largely decorative.

In Landhaus am Attersee (below), the whole painting is made up of pretty patterns.

Klimt painted a farmhouse in a field of flowers and trees - the green colours, the red flowers and the rural scene give a powerful feeling of the vitality of springtime.

Klimt may have been born poor, but his paintings are  rich in style and symbolism.

Want to know more?

A film about the artist, called Klimt and starring John Malkovich, is due for release this year.



Gustav Klimt