1862 - 1918

Gustav Klimt was born on 14th July 1862 in many hours to complete. . His mother was a musical performer and his father was an engraver of gold. Klimt lived a simple life. When at home, he Gustav was a talented artist from a young wore a long robe and sandals. He painted all age and he attended the School of day, every day. Some of Klimt’s most famous Arts and Crafts. works include: ‘The Kiss’, ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I’, ‘Houses in Unterach on the In 1877, he formed an artistic team with Attersee’, and ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer his brother, Ernst Klimt, and their friend, II’. Gustav Klimt never painted a self-portrait. Franz Matsch, painting murals in Vienna’s museums. In the 1880s, Klimt became well- Klimt died on 6th February 1918. He suffered known for his mural painting. He even with pneumonia following a severe influenza received the Golden Order of Merit from the outbreak, and he died of a stroke. He is buried Austrian Emperor. Gustav’s brother, Ernst, in Vienna. and their father both died in 1892. One final interesting fact about Klimt is that From then, Gustav’s artistic style changed. his ‘Adele Bloch-Bauer I’ portrait sold in 2006 His work began to include lots of symbolism. at auction for more money than any other Symbolist painters used a wide variety of painting ever had before: $135 million! In the subjects including heroes, women, animals, painting, the model is covered in a golden and landscapes. They gave these subjects deep gown. The gown is elaborately decorated with meanings such as love, death, sin, religion, fancy details and gold leaf. The gown forms a or disease. They would use metaphors (or powerful symbol of a person changing their symbols) rather than real life to represent identity as well as the hope of the future. something. Klimt’s paintings also incorporated gold leaf and were very intricate, so they took

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