Metallic hues, areas of detail, distinctive backgrounds, and symbolism are all key stylistic components of Gustav Klimt’s work. His paintings and murals provoked opposition in his day, but are widely popular now, and they have become some of the most expensive in the world.
Read:
Klimt and His Cat by Berenice Capatti does a great job of reviewing Klimt’s life.
- Gustav Klimt: A Painted Fairy Tale by Stephan Koja is a fun glimpse at Klimt’s most famous works. {affiliate links}
In the News:
As I mentioned in class, a treasure trove of artwork, was recently discovered hidden in a German apartment. More than 1,400 pieces of art were seized from Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of a Nazi art dealer. It is expected that the works total over $1,000,000,000.00. As this story plays out, it will be interesting to see what happens with these works as some could possibly have been looted from the Jews during WWII. The statute of limitations has technically passed, but the true ownership of these pieces is sure to be of great debate. (Parents, this link contains images of the female form, and there are advertisements in the sidebar. Please preview to discern whether this is appropriate for your children)
Create:
Try using your metal embossing skills to create metallic greeting cards for your friends. Just make sure to cut your metal before embossing it, or the scissors will distort your image.
Consider:
Klimt love to use symbols in his work, and it is easy to find similar symbols all around us.
The language of the Bible is rich with metaphor. Jesus presented himself as a shepherd, sower, light, bread, water, and much more. What does it all mean?
The value of a symbol is in its ability to compress a lot of information into a simple concept. It helps us to not only understand, but retain that information. Everyone understands the job of a shepherd includes caring, directing, grooming, correcting, leading, and protecting. This word picture gives us far greater depth of understanding of the love of of God for his people than a list of characteristics ever could. Check it out for yourself: John 10