Title: Gustav Klimt : drawings and watercolours /
Authors: Metzger, Rainer.; Klimt, Gustav, 1862-1918.
Publisher: Thames & Hudson,
Year: 2005
Subjects: Klimt, Gustav, Criticism and interpretation.
Abstract: "Gustav Klimt the painter has always tended to overshadow Gustav Klimt the draughtsman. One of the most fascinating representatives of the Belle Epoque, Klimt is cherished for his rich use of ornament and his paintings of fin de siecle Viennese high society, which bring to life the decadence of the era through vibrant colours and patterns. Yet there can be no doubt about Klimt's greatness as a draughtsman." "Here, Rainer Metzger brings together hundreds of Klimt's works on paper in a way that enriches our knowledge of the artist and enhances the visual impact of his oeuvre. Many revolve around Klimt's taboo-breaking main themes - the naked woman, erotica and homoerotica - while others provide allegorical and historical insights. Between these two poles lie Klimt's elegantly direct and intoxicating preparatory sketches and studies tirelessly and manically executed - frameworks that would lay the foundations for his paintings."--Jacket.
Contents: Vienna and the world: the great inconsistency -- Klimt's historicism: the graphic works before 1899 -- The secession principle: naked truth and truthful nakedness -- Klimt's naturalism: the graphic works 1899-1910 -- Abstraction and empathy: Klimt's art of decoration -- Seeing and being seen: through Klimt's eyes -- Klimt's modernism: the graphic works 1910-18 -- The self and the ego: Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka -- Klimt and art: the little that is much.