Gustav Klimt Slide Script

Pre-slides: Focus slide; “And now, it’s time for Art Lit”

Slide 1: Words We Will Use Today Mosaics: Mosaics use many tiny pieces of colored glass, shiny stones, gold, and silver to make intricate images and patterns. Art Nouveau: this means New Art - a style of decorative art, architecture, and design popular in Western Europe and the US from about 1890 to 1910. It’s recognized by flowing lines and curves. Patrons: Patrons are men and women who support the arts by purchasing art, commissioning art, or by sponsoring or providing a salary to an artist so they can continue making art.

Slide 2 – Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt was a master of eye popping pattern and metallic color. Art Nouveau (noo-vo) artists like Klimt used bright colors and swirling, flowing lines and believed art could symbolize something beyond what appeared on the canvas.

When asked why he never painted a self-portrait, Klimt said, “There is nothing special about me. Whoever wants to know something about me... ought to look carefully at my pictures.”

We may not have a self-portrait but we do have photos of him – including this one with his studio cat! Let’s see what we can learn about Klimt today.

Slide 3 – Public Art Klimt was born in Vienna, Austria where he lived his whole life. Klimt’s father was a gold engraver and he taught his son how to work with gold. Klimt won a full scholarship to art school at the age of 14 and when he finished, he and his brothers started a business painting murals on walls and ceilings for mansions, public theatres and universities. Here are two examples.

Slide 4 – Inspiration Klimt was very inspired by the Byzantine Mosaics from the Medieval Period that he saw in Ravenna, Italy. When Klimt switched from painting on murals to painting on canvases, many of his paintings include patterns and colors just like the mosaics he loved.

Slide 5 – The Kiss The years when Klimt used a lot of gold leaf and metallic paint in his art was called his golden phase. (pass around baggie of gold leaf from cart). Klimt loved patterns and he would repeat shapes, lines and colors in specific arrangements.

This painting is called The Kiss, and is one of Klimt’s most recognized masterpieces. Only the faces in this glowing painting are in focus, everything else is a swirl of pattern. This makes us focus on the emotions the man and woman are feeling as he kisses her cheek.

Gustav Klimt Artist Slide Script

Slide 6 – Tree of Life Klimt used his art to explore big questions around life and death. One of his most symbolic paintings on this subject is The Tree of Life. Many cultures and religions use the Tree of Life to illustrate the connection between heaven, earth and the underworld. The swirling branches and rich colors in Klimt’s version invite us to spend more time deciphering the symbols sprinkled throughout.

Optional – What do you think some of these symbols mean? Tree? Connection between heaven and earth Twisting branches? Life’s complexity Fruits? Life comes from trees Black Bird? Symbol of death, a reminder that everything that has a beginning also has an end

Slide 7 – Adele Bloch-Bauer I This woman in gold is what many consider the height of Klimt’s golden phase. This portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (Block-Bower) took Klimt three years to complete. Here is a photo of Adele so you can see how the painting is similar to the real woman. You can see how Klimt didn’t care about being too realistic in his portraits.

Look at all the different shapes and patterns Klimt uses to create the dress, the chair and the background of the portrait. What shapes do you see that Klimt uses in his patterns?

Slide 8 – Patron Portraits The painting in the previous slide and these five are examples of portraits Klimt made of women in Vienna who were important patrons of the arts. Patrons are people who help an artist to live while they work on their art by commissioning art or by sponsoring their art in some way. What do you see that is similar about these portraits?

Slide 9 – Klimt Katzen Today we are going to make our own golden portraits in the style of Klimt’s golden phase. But instead of drawing women, we’re going to draw cats inspired by his studio cat! Katzen is cat in the German language that Klimt spoke. Let’s watch a short video of the project.

Continue to Project Steps….

Gustav Klimt Artist Slide Script