Biography
1899 - 1910
Golden phase and critical success
Klimt's 'Golden Phase' was marked by positive critical reaction and success. Many of his paintings from this period used gold leaf; the prominent use of gold can first be traced back to Pallas Athene (1898) and Judith I (1901), although the works most popularly associated with this period are the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907) and The Kiss (1907-1908). Klimt travelled little but trips to Venice and Ravenna, both famous for their beautiful mosaics, most likely inspired his gold technique and his Byzantine imagery. In 1904, he collaborated with other artists on the lavish Palais Stoclet, the home of a wealthy Belgian industrialist, which was one of the grandest monuments of the Art Nouveau age. Klimt's contributions to the dining room, including both Fulfillment and Expectation, were some of his finest decorative work, and as he publicly stated, "probably the ultimate stage of my development of ornament." Between 1907 and 1909, Klimt painted five canvases of society women wrapped in fur. His apparent love of costume is expressed in the many photographs of Flöge modeling clothing he designed.
As he worked and relaxed in his home, Klimt normally wore sandals and a long robe with no undergarments. His simple life was somewhat cloistered, devoted to his art and family and little else except the Secessionist Movement, and he avoided café society and other artists socially. Klimt's fame usually brought patrons to his door, and he could afford to be highly selective. His painting method was very deliberate and painstaking at times and he required lengthy sittings by his subjects. Though very active sexually, he kept his affairs discreet and he avoided personal scandal.
Klimt wrote little about his vision or his methods. He wrote mostly postcards to Flöge and kept no diary. In a rare writing called "Commentary on a non-existent self-portrait", he states "I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself as a subject for a painting than I am in other people, above all women...There is nothing special about me. I am a painter who paints day after day from morning to night...Whoever wants to know something about me... ought to look carefully at my pictures."
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Gustav Klimt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt , which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (view authors).
References
"The most important element of his fame is his reputation as a master of eroticism". Fleidel, Gottfried: "Gustav Klimt 1862-1918 The World in Female Form.", p. 14. Benedikt Taschen, 1994.
Sabarsky, Serge, et al., Gustav Klimt: Drawings, p. 18. Moyer Bell Limited, 1983. ISBN 0-918825-19-9
Fliedl, Gottfried, page 230, 1994.
Sabarsky, p. 7.
John Collins, Klimt: Modernism In The Making, Harry N. Abrams, 2001, p.99, ISBN 978-0-8109-3524-2
Frank Whitford, Klimt, Thames and Hudson, 1990. p.69.
Sabarsky, p. 9.
Jones , Jonathan (May 6, 2008). "Klimt's Dazzling demons". The Guardian. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
SheilaTGTG55 (October 13, 2011). "The Fire At Schloss Immendorf". Open Salon. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
Frank Whitford Klimt, Thames and Hudson, 1990, p.52.
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2011/04/looted_klimt_-_the_mahler_conn.html
In recognition of his intensity, the locals called him "Waldschrat", Forest Demon. Koja, Stephan, et al.: Gustav Klimt Landscapes, page 27. Prestel, 2002.
Anselm Wagner: "Klimt's Landscapes and the Telescope", Gustav Klimt Landscapes, pages 161-171. Prestel, 2002.
Frank Whitford Klimt, Thames and Hudson, 1990, p.103
Frank Whitford Klimt, Thames and Hudson, 1990, p.18
see timeline and life history Retrieved December 12, 2010
Gilles Neret, Gustav Klimt: 1862-1918, Taschen, 1999, p.84. ISBN 3-8228-5980-X
Alessandra Comini, Gustav Klimt, George Braziller, 2001, p.5. ISBN 0-8076-0806-8
Nina Siegal, DKS.thing.net, Retrieved February 4, 2007.
Christopher Michaud, Christie's stages record art sale, Reuter's, November 9, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2006.
Kinsella, Eileen: "Gold Rush", Artnews, page 111. January 2007.
Kinsella, Eileen, page 112, January 2007.
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2011/11/someone-just-paid-40-million-for-mahlers-summer-home.html
Lamp.ac.uk
Ibiblio.org
ECFS.org
Whitford, speaking on The Kiss: The Private Life of a Masterpiece, BBC TV
Burbank, Luke Austria to return paintings to Jewish heir, National Public Radio, 17 January 2006.
"cartea romaneasca / catalog / carte". Cartearomaneasca.ro. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
Coin Update New Austrian Gold Coin Series “Klimt and His Women” 13 January 2012.
Sources
Hubertus Czernin Die Fälschung: Der Fall Bloch-Bauer und das Werk Gustav Klimts. Czernin Verlag, Vienna 2006. ISBN 3-7076-0000-9 Carl E. Schorske "Gustav Klimt: Painting and the Crisis of the Liberal Ego" in Fin-de-Siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture. Vintage Books, 1981. ISBN 0-394-74478-0 Jane Kallir, Alfred Weidinger: Gustav Klimt. In Search of the Total Artwork. Prestel, New York 2009, ISBN 978-3-7913-4232-0 Julio Vives Chillida. El Beso (Los Enamorados) de Gustav Klimt. Un Ensayo de Iconografía, Lulu.com, junio de 2008, ISBN 978-1-4092-0530-2. Gilles Neret. Gustav Klimt: 1862-1918. Taschen, 1993, 2005. ISBN 978-3-8228-5980-3 Alfred Weidinger. Klimt. Catalogue Raisonné, Prestel, New York, 2007, ISBN 978-3-7913-3764-7
Pictures between 1899 and 1910
