The Art and Inspiration of Gustav Klimt

The splendor of Byzantine churches with their glinting gold mosaic domes and beautiful art

work spread throughout the Mediterranean area, especially in Sicily, with Cathedrals like

Monreale and Italy, with St Marks in Venice. The jewel colors of silk (whose production was a

state secret in the Empire) combined with gold and enamels made Byzantine walls

explosions of color. The Byzantines were aware of their effect on visitors and at times

deliberately cultivated it, perhaps in the process causing the jealousy which brought about

the fourth crusade and the Empire's eventual decline.

Nowhere can the colorful golden influence of the Byzantine world be seen more clearly than

in the work of celebrated artist Gustav Klimt, yet his subject matter was very different from his

source of inspiration.

Where Byzantine art features two dimensional portraiture often of mythical and religious

scenes, the art of Klimt is often described as erotic and almost entirely composed of female

figures. The Byzantine influence is seen in the use of mosaic patterns and ornament, jewel

colors and gold. Klimt's father and brother were gold engravers, and perhaps that is the

reason for the use of gold in so many his works. Although Klimt did not travel a great deal, he

frequently visited both Ravenna and Venice and it seems likely that this is where he was

exposed to Byzantine influences.

Gustav Klimt began work as a an architectural painter who worked with his brother and a

friend to paint interior murals and ceilings. He received a medal for his work in 1888, but his

style changed following the death of his father and brother. For 10 years from 1897 Klimt was

a member (and at one time president) of the Wiener Sezession a group of artists who

protested traditional teachings and hence seceded from the Association of Austrian Artists.

Their aim was to provide exhibitions for unconventional artists and bring the best of foreign

art to Vienna. They did not favor any particular style and received government support

including a lease on some public land where they could build an exhibition hall.

Klimt's own work did not fare well at first. Some of the paintings he was commissioned to

create were rejected and regarded as 'pornographic'. His later work was far better received,

especially that of his 'gold' period where he incorporated a great deal of gold leaf. In 1911

Klimt won first prize in the world exhibitions in Rome, but he left little behind other than his

art. His life was not filled with scandal, he made no self portraits and left no notes and no

diary. He died in 1918 leaving many paintings unfinished.

Three of Klimt's paintings received some of the highest prices ever paid for art with the

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I selling for $135 million in 2006. At the time it was the highest

price ever paid for a painting, though it has now been eclipsed by the $137 paid for Willem de

Kooning's Woman III and the $140 million paid for Jackson Pollocks No 5, 1948.

Few of us have the money to indulge in original art work, or even the right space in which to

hang a good Klimt reproduction, however some of Klimt's more famous works can now be

enjoyed as sculptures, and as such they make interesting decorative pieces and useful gifts

for art lovers or anyone who might enjoy a an art-inspired gift.