Viennese artist Gustav Klimt shocked early 20th century audiences with his unorthodox,
subtly erotic paintings.
Born in Baumgarten, a suburb of Vienna, Klimt's interest in art was nurtured by his
father, an engraver in gold and silver. The artist's formal training began at
Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna.
A Symbolist, Klimt founded the Vienna Secession, a group of artists who banded
together to condemn the day's conservative academic painting. Rejecting popular
contemporary imagery, the artist sought inspiration from exotic sources, most notably
Byzantine mosaics. In "The Kiss," Klimt's best known work, beautifully rendered figures float
dreamlike in space, wrapped in an abstracted mosaic robe that veils graceful organic contours.
The rhythmic flowing line and biomorphic form of Klimt's unparalleled paintings became a
potent influence on the Art Nouveau movement.
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