On July 14, 1862 was born Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter and symbolist. As the main representative of the Vienna Secession movement, he contributed to the development of Art Nouveau, a movement-reaction to 19th century art that was inspired by nature.

At the age of only fourteen he enrolled at the School of Applied Arts in Vienna and began to experiment with different styles. At the age of 18, he received his first major job, which also marked his brilliant career: To create the paintings of the Stourani Palace in Vienna and some murals in the thermal baths of Carlsbad. 1888 was a year that positively marked his name in the field of Austrian art, as Emperor Francis Joseph awarded him the gold medal of the Order of Honor, for his entire contribution to art, while for his frescoes in the stairwells of Burgtheater won the Imperial Prize in the same year.

The harsh criticism of his work

His refusal to tone down the truth of his works and fit them into the mold of the orthodoxy of the time led to harsh criticism. The 1894 Klimt had undertaken to paint the walls and ceiling of the Great Hall of the University of Vienna, a work that never saw the light of the University. The three paintings completed by Klimt, Philosophy, Medicine and Law, were considered scandalous, due to their intense erotic element, while the painter himself was accused with the heavy epithet of “pornographer”, as a result of which they were not used to decorate the ceiling.

Today, these works are known to us from their black and white photographs and a detailed copy of Medicine, as they were destroyed by the German National Socialist organization Schutzstaffel in the late World War II.

Known for his beautiful, highly decorated works, he often depicts the subject of love. During his time, Klimt was considered a revolutionary, as the paintings he created did not conform to academic art. When the state closed the door on him creating state projects, he began to deal with portraits, mainly of well-known women of the Viennese bourgeoisie, with a strong presence in the Secession.

10 works by Gustav Klimt that confirm his prominence in 20th century art:

  • Judith and the Head of Holofernes (1901)

Depicting the biblical character of Judith, this painting is one of his signature examples of gilded work. As the title suggests, Judith holds the head of Holofernes. However, as Klimt decided that the protagonist of his painting should be the tragic heroine, he painted only part of Holofernes’ head, so as not to attract attention. As a classic representative of his heroines, Judith exudes an excess of eroticism, a femininity with a smirk on her lips. This work is in the Austrian Belvedere Gallery in Vienna.

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