Gustav Klimt (GUUS-tahf klimt), perhaps best known for his controversial style, came from humble beginnings and was trained in classical style. After years of serving as an architectural painter of murals throughout Vienna, he was criticized for his overtly erotic style. This criticism served as a turning point in his career. He then revised his own sense of artistic value that ultimately led to his fall from the conservative academic art world to self discovery with an inventive and versatile style that is untouched to this day.
Born July 14, 1862, in Baumgarden, Austria, near Vienna, Gustav Klimt was the second of seven children. His father, Ernst Klimt, was a poor gold engraver originally from Bohemia. His father’s craft would later prove to be a great influence in the highly ornamental style Klimt later adopted.
In 1876, at the age of fourteen, Klimt began studying at the Vienna School of Decorative Arts where he learned a variety of techniques including mosaics and fresco and architectural painting. His early works represented typical Nineteenth Century academic painting that include his murals for the Vienna Burgtheater and the staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. In 1894, after painting the first of several contracted murals for the University of Vienna, Klimt was criticized for his erotic symbolism and accused of using excessive perversion. Along with the death of his father and brother Ernst, the backlash proved a pivotal point in his career in which he chose artistic freedom over public approval. Klimt soon began to collaborate with other artists to revolt the narrow-minded academic views of his critics and began a revolution in artistic style and expression.
In 1897 Gustav Klimt founded the Vienna Seze...
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... though employing a familiar subject (the female form), shows the transformation from busy mosaics with gold embellishments to a brighter palate of colors and the use of stronger, bolder lines. The piece exemplifies his versatility as an artist.
On February 6, 1918, Gustav Klimt died of pneumonia just a month after he suffered a stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body. Klimt was quoted as saying, “Whoever wants to know something about me – as an artist, the only notable thing—ought to look carefully at my pictures and try and see in them what I am and what I want to do.” If we follow his instruction, we will undoubtedly appreciate the passion and creativity he had for every genre of artistic expression. His talent proved limitless while pushing the norms of society and transforming and expanding his craft in ways that exceeded the expectations of all.
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the world’s greatest and most well-known artists, but when he was alive he considered himself to be a complete failure. It was not until after he died that Van Gogh’s paintings received the recognition they deserved. Today he is thought to be the second best Dutch artist, after Rembrandt. Born in 1853, he was one of the biggest artistic influences of the 19th century. Vincent Van Gogh created a new era of art, he learned to use art to escape his mental illness, and he still continues to inspire artists over 100 years later.
The painting is organized simply. The background of the painting is painted in an Impressionist style. The blurring of edges, however, starkly contrasts with the sharp and hard contours of the figure in the foreground. The female figure is very sharp and clear compared to the background. The background paint is thick compared to the thin lines used to paint the figures in the foreground. The thick paint adds to the reduction of detail for the background. The colors used to paint the foreground figures are vibrant, as opposed to the whitened colors of the Impressionist background. The painting is mostly comprised of cool colors but there is a range of dark and light colors. The light colors are predominantly in the background and the darker colors are in the foreground. The vivid color of the robe contrasts with the muted colors of the background, resulting in an emphasis of the robe color. This emphasis leads the viewer's gaze to the focal part of the painting: the figures in the foreground. The female and baby in the foreground take up most of the canvas. The background was not painted as the artist saw it, but rather the impression t...
...hese repeated vertical lines contrast firmly with a horizontal line that divides the canvas almost exactly in half. The background, upper portion of the canvas, seems unchanging and flat, whereas the foreground and middle ground of the painting have a lot of depth to them.
Gustav Klimt was a part of the Vienna Secession art movement. Not only was he just a part of the Vienna Secession art movement, but he was the cofounder and the president. The goal of the Vienna Secession was to exhibit foreign artworks in Vienna, and to provide exhibitions for young unconventional artists (Moffat, 2008). The Vienna Secession was the most influential breakaway on conservative art across Europe and was big to promote its own ideas. (Encyclopedia of Art History, n.d.). Gustav Klimt was native to Austria and worked on his art
Jean-Michel Basquiat was born on December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York to parents Gérard Basquiat and Matilde Andradas. Little did they know at the time that Jean-Michel Basquiat would soon go down as one of the most important contemporary painters continuing to leave a legacy for decades to come after his passing. Basquiat would live a difficult life and experience many hardships until he later dies of a heroin overdose, but what he experiences during his lifetime is what shaped the way Basquiat expressed himself through his art. Basquiat’s exceedingly personal and relatable art is what guided him to being such an influential artist. “His work is likely to remain for a long time as the modern picture of
As his fame continued to grow, his art work developed a sort of sophistication and prestige. Basquiat began to expand his work by attending art festivals and events in other states and countries than just New York. One of his favorite places to visit was Africa.“This expansive work of the 1980’s compresses together the relationship of Egypt to Africa, with reference to more local centers of African-American music within southern culture (www.theartstory.org). Instead of displaying his work with the streets of New York, He exhibited his artwork in various places throughout the world, especially at the Kestner-Gesellschaft Gallery in Hanover, Germany.“His work and style received critical acclaim for the fusion of words, symbols, stick figures, and animals. His painting came to be adored by an art loving public…”(biography.com). The expansion of Basquiat work had become world wide topic that gained many art observers and critics
Andy Warhol and Frida Kahlo had an immense amount of impact on the world of art. Warhol has always explored the rooted connection between celebrity culture and artistic expression, which left him with a lasting legacy that has marked him for one of the most famous artists to have existed. The population was fascinated by Warhol’s ability to blur the lines between fine art and innovative design, providing him a large following and work that will be remembered for decades. Kahlo too is a name that is not likely to be forgotten. Her work is recognizable on a global level and her works are loved by many people. The deep admiration her followers have given her, and the amount of modern artists that she has influenced, creates an immortalization
...s face. Masaccio's extrodinary focus on colors adds a new fundamental component to the painting.
The gestural and heavy working of the paint and the contrasting colors make the painting appear active yet are arduous to follow. The defining element of Woman and Bicycle is the presence of the black lines that do most of the work in terms of identifying the figure. Through the wild nature of the brushwork, color, and composition of the painting, it can be implied that the artist is making an implication towards the wild nature of even the most proper of women.
Georges Seurat was a French born artist born on December 2nd 1859 in Paris, Frrance. He study at École des Beaux-Art, which was one of the most prestige art schools in the world, which is also known for training many of the renounced artist we know. George Seurat left the École des Beaux-Art and began to work on his own; he began to visit impressionist exhibitions, where he gained inspiration from the impressionist painters, such as Claude Monet. Seurat also was interested in the science of art; he explored perception, color theory and the psychological effect of line and form. Seurat experimented with all the ideas he had gained, he felt the need to go beyond the impressionist style, he started to focus on the permanence of paintin...
Art is a very important part of humanity’s history, and it can be found anywhere from the walls of caves to the halls of museums. The artists that created these works of art were influenced by a multitude of factors including personal issues, politics, and other art movements. Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh, two wildly popular artists, have left behind artwork, that to this day, influences and fascinates people around the world. Their painting styles and personal lives are vastly different, but both artists managed to capture the emotions that they were feeling and used them to create artwork.
As the young boy grew, he began to have a love for art and wanted to become an artist, but his father, however, did not have a care of his son’s dreams, but instead wanted him to grow up, following in his footsteps; in which Adolf rebelled against.
One of the most unique figures in the continuum of the art world, Marcel Duchamp changed the way we look at and produce art today. Marcel Duchamp was by far, one of the most controversial figures in art. Two of the most well known and talked about pieces by him are The Fountain and The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even . Duchamp created many other pieces that caught the attention of critics, other artists, and the population in a negative way; however, these two pieces alone, brought about the greatest amount of controversy.
Yet another catastrophe occurred in 1886 when Munch’s father passed away. Munch continued diligently with his work as he studied in France, and eventually developed the French Impressionist Technique. While in Paris, he used this technique to create art that symbolized his...
This breaks all of our tradition in sculpture. On the one hand the simplification and distortion of body and limb seem extremely daring departures from the tradition which few do; on the other hand, this is reminiscent of the earliest sculpture ever produced, which is far from a perfect balance. Thus he has created a new form; that of pure laziness.