Gustav Klimt
 Austria's Famous Painter of Sensuous Women

   Gustav Klimt was born in a suburb of Vienna, Austria in 1862. His father was an unsuccessful Bohemian gold engraver, and Gustav and his two brothers and four sisters lived in poverty for most of their early childhood. But as soon as they were old enough, Gustav and his two brothers went to work to support their family, and fortunes improved. By the time Gustav was fourteen they had saved enough to enroll him at Vienna’s School of Applied Arts, to train as an architectural decorator.

  About the time that Klimt began his studies, the Austrian Government had embarked on an ambitious program of public works, including a row of grand new edifices along Vienna’s central thoroughfare, the Ringstrasse. Architectural decorators were in demand, and while still a student Klimt was able get much needed work to help pay for his education. By around 1880 he had begun doing actual commissions with his brother Ernst, who was training as an engraver at the same school, and with Franz Matsch, a talented friend and fellow student. At the same time, he began doing modernist illustrations for a popular publication of “allegories” of classical themes about life, nature, mythology and folklore, published by Gerlach and Schenk of Vienna.

In 1883 Klimt finished his studies at the Vienna School of Applied Arts, and he, his brother and Matsch incorporated themselves as “The Artist’s Company of Klimt Brothers and Matsch”. Through their good reputation and ongoing connections with the school the trio was introduced to some of the city’s top architectural firms, and important commissions soon followed.

In 1884 Vienna’s then most-renowned artist, Hans Makart, fell ill and died. Gustav and his partners

Klimt's painting of The Old Burgtheater, 1888. 

were invited to help complete one of his unfinished projects, a set of murals for the Empress Elizabeth’s quarters at Hermesvilla, an Imperial retreat. This assignment led to a major commission from the Emperor's architect in 1886, - the stairwell murals for Vienna’s new Burgtheater, and a set of historical paintings to commemorate the old Burgtheater, which was shortly to be demolished.

To fulfill the latter requirement both Klimt and Matsch completed detailed paintings of the old theatre, Matsch’s painting showing the view toward the stage, and Klimt’s looking toward the auditorium floor and balconies. Klimt's view faced the audience, which enabled him to paint in recognizable portraits of all the theater’s prominent patrons, standing or sitting in their usual places, as if awaiting a performance. This proved very popular with Vienna’s cultural elite, many of whom ordered expensive reproductions. The emperor was so impressed that in 1890 he proclaimed Klimt the finest painter in Austria and awarded him the “Emperor’s Prize” for his contribution.

That same year The Artists Company was awarded a commission to do another set of staircase murals, this time for the new Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum. Life seemed to be going extremely well for Gustav Klimt, who was still only 28 years old, but it was about to take some unexpected turns.

In 1891 Gustav’s brother Ernst married Helene Flöge, daughter of a wealthy manufacturer, and Gustav began a

Portrait of Emilie Flöge, 1900
(upper portion)

close, life-long relationship with her sister, Emilie. The nature of that relationship provided endless fuel for gossip and speculation, as the two seemed very close, but weren't inclined to marry. Gustav seemed to be free to have affairs with other women, and he did. But Emilie’s friends and family always insisted that her relationship with Klimt was purely platonic;- a very deep, but platonic friendship, and nothing more.

In 1892 Klimt's father and his brother Ernst both died. The loss seemed to have a profound impact on Klimt's life and art. Perhaps the sudden realization of his own mortality led him to question what he was doing with his life. Whatever the reason, he became a recluse for the next five years, shunning society as much as possible. He spent most of his time studying and experimenting with new styles of art, especially Art Nouveau, while pondering his own creative direction. He was nominated for a professorship at the University of Vienna but didn't get it. He was awarded, along with Franz Matsch, a major commission for ceiling paintings

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