Klimt Life and Work

by Susanna Partsch

Gustav Klimt was the great master of the Viennese variant of the Art Nouveau movement known as "Jugenstil". His beautiful, ornamental, and often gilded paintings, as well as his remarkable depictions of women, have made him world famous. A part from his decorative Art Nouveau work, he made a great many refined drawings, mainly featuring highly sensual female nudes.The milieu and achievements of this remarkable artist are portrayed by-- Vienna as a "total artwork"-- Jugenstil painting and Symbolism-- The heroic years of the Vienna Secession-- The celebrated Beethoven Frieze-- The Kiss, theme and variations-- The Femme fataleOwing to the richness of his palette and the stark drama of his paintings, Klimt's popularity continues. With handsome color reproductions and a comprehensive text, this volume is a tribute to an artist who continues to engage, surprise, and fascinate us.

Genres: Art, Biography, Nonfiction, Reference, Art History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jesper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bogen indeholder en god kombination af Gustav Klimts billeder og en beskrivelse af hans liv og samtidig en gennemgang af de vigtigste temaer i hans malerier.
Han bliver i sin samtid en avantgarde provokatør, hvilket bogen beskriver godt i hans kamp med det etablerede kunstmiljø i Wien ved dannelsen af Secessionen og særligt friserne han skulle lave til universitetet - men er samtidig helt bundet fast i denne samtids kvindesyn - kvinden som passivt objekt for manden - hvilket fremgår både af hans symbolistiske malerier som det berømte “Kysset” og hans mange portrætter af kvinder.
Jeg synes alt i alt, at bogen er en velskrevet monografi med en passende blanding af detaljer og overblik.

[Hermien · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is a bit dry but the pictures are wonderful.

[Diána M G · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book about Gustav Klimt and yet there is hardly any Klimt in it at all. I was rather puzzled to notice how the author it's not at all passionate about the subject of her writing but maybe that's because there's not much to be passionate about. And so comes the poorly written, shallow book with (fairly) good illustrations scattered all over it. The few lines in which Klimt describes himself are very relevant: he is not an interesting person, merely the common, humble owner of a boring bourgeois mild neurosis. His work is interesting as long as one does not try to look beyond it as I'm afraid, one will finding nothing of much interest there.

[Tim Petersik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gustav Klimt entered my radar field slowly. When he was fully on the scene, I realized I loved his art and the story of his life. This book has a healthy dose of both.

[kimyunalesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very heavy book but monet's heavier though haha! this one is definitely golden!I looked at his works 1st.Ah that centerfold! really nice and I wasn't expecting it.