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Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt, born in Austria in 1862, grew up relatively poor. He enrolled in a public art school in Vienna at 14 years old and apparently had natural talent because he was asked to do commissions while he was studying there.

Klimt was known to be a bit of a playboy and because of his success, he was able to have a willing model available whenever he needed them. A lot of his work was considered erotic for the day, and in my opinion, it still is.

I find it really interesting that he has so much pattern and abstraction surrounding his figures, but the figures themselves are almost true to life in coloring  and shading. The two techniques seem to contradict each other, but the contrast works. His figures draw me in because of their likeness to real life. The bodies are a bit elongated and skinny or even contorted- but for some reason it doesn't seem off-  just fascinating.

The gold that he would often use in some of his works made the figures stand out. I read that the patterns and the gold came from when he visited His favorite subject seemed to be the female figure- usually sexual in nature.


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