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Gustav Klimt: Art Nouveau Visionary
Pub November 2008 240 in Sterling Gustav Klimts decorative. seductive style. jewel-like colors. use of gold. patterns and sensuous lines. continue. to captivate art lovers today This lushly illustrated volume explores his fascinating artistic career. covering Vienna at the time of Klimts creative peak. With over 300 beautifully reproduced pictures. paintings and photographs. it presents Klimts entire artistic posters for exhibitions. erotic drawings and pictorial masterpieces such as The Kiss. Death and Life and Tree of Life. along with countless portraits such as the famous Adele Bloch-Bauer I.
- GenresArtNonfiction
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 19, 2016
Very informative. Well organized timeline. I found out some new things I didn't know before. I like that most paintings were analyzed/explained in the text. The images themselves were nice. A couple times I thought someone actually painted gold in the book. So good definition and color.
But I wish that there were more photos. I like that it would present the image as a whole and then focus in on a detail. But the whole image was made quite small compared to the detail focus. An example would be that I wanted to see the Tree of Life as a whole. Instead, it focused on a detail and gave me three smaller clips of each portion of the piece. It made it more disconnected, whereas the piece (I think) is intended to be seen as a whole.
But, considering the length and depth of the book itself, It has a lot of images. I enjoyed looking at everything and reading it.
But I wish that there were more photos. I like that it would present the image as a whole and then focus in on a detail. But the whole image was made quite small compared to the detail focus. An example would be that I wanted to see the Tree of Life as a whole. Instead, it focused on a detail and gave me three smaller clips of each portion of the piece. It made it more disconnected, whereas the piece (I think) is intended to be seen as a whole.
But, considering the length and depth of the book itself, It has a lot of images. I enjoyed looking at everything and reading it.
March 31, 2013
I was amazed by his painting the virgin I saw in the book 50 Modern Artists You Should Know by Christiane Weidemann and Christine Nippe. I found his work stood out. Therefore I did further reading with this book. Gustav Klimt's pantings transformation from classic style into art nouveau is truly remarkable. Completed with his sensational paintings and the history beneath, this book quench my curiosity of this eccentric Austrian artist who was far ahead of his time.
September 9, 2016
An awesome read about an entertaining man. I learned more about the times he painted in, his friends, associates, etc. The techniques he used were discussed also. So this book was more about his work than the man.
April 8, 2017
I bought this book after reading, A Lady in Gold, to learn more about the artist. Just wish I read both books before my visit to Vienna.
April 5, 2024
“Who wants to know more about me, that is about the artist, the only one worth knowing, carefully look at my paintings to find who I am and what I want"
“Quien quiera saber algo sobre mí, como artista digno de interés, debe contemplar mis cuadros con atención e intentar reconocer en ellos lo que soy y lo que busco.”
Preciosa la edición y muy interesante la información.
“Quien quiera saber algo sobre mí, como artista digno de interés, debe contemplar mis cuadros con atención e intentar reconocer en ellos lo que soy y lo que busco.”
Preciosa la edición y muy interesante la información.
May 27, 2019
I looked at all of the photos of the paintings, but did not read much of the text. Good visual introduction to Klimt.
September 19, 2022
What are coffee table books for? Gustav Klimt: Art Nouveau Visionary doesn't quite fit on my shelf, jutting out from its crowd like the tall girl in gym class. Overall I found it well-written and decently informative, but I never could shake the feeling I was wrong for actually reading it. The book’s very organization forbids it: While reading, you’ll find that many works referenced in the text are not only not on the same page but not on any page nearby. One might say this is a gesture toward the fleeting nature of any true understanding of art, but such a person would be annoying for saying so.
di Stefano’s writing mostly analyzes Klimt’s works, but she sucked me in at the book’s start with an efficient explanation of turn-of-the-century Vienna, a cultural juggernaut at a crossroads. In that vein, I was hoping for more about Klimt’s context, character, and personal life, though I gathered here that any biography of Klimt the person would essentially be, “He lived in one place his whole life and did a lot of painting and screwing until he died. Das Ende.”
So Gustav Klimt: Art Nouveau Visionary may be worth reading even if it’s not meant to be read. As a book meant instead to be left as a statement piece in your home like a basket of wicker balls, it’s quite a good one, full of large and vivid images of Klimt’s work, mostly divided by era/subject. I actually bought this book out of the many Klimt volumes because of the quality of its photographs. I suppose for me the purpose of this particular book was to gain a better understanding of one of my favorite artists, see more of his works, and inspire me to see them in person. To these ends, this is a good book, worth lifting up every few weeks to dust your coffee table and think, "Why not flip through this again?"
di Stefano’s writing mostly analyzes Klimt’s works, but she sucked me in at the book’s start with an efficient explanation of turn-of-the-century Vienna, a cultural juggernaut at a crossroads. In that vein, I was hoping for more about Klimt’s context, character, and personal life, though I gathered here that any biography of Klimt the person would essentially be, “He lived in one place his whole life and did a lot of painting and screwing until he died. Das Ende.”
So Gustav Klimt: Art Nouveau Visionary may be worth reading even if it’s not meant to be read. As a book meant instead to be left as a statement piece in your home like a basket of wicker balls, it’s quite a good one, full of large and vivid images of Klimt’s work, mostly divided by era/subject. I actually bought this book out of the many Klimt volumes because of the quality of its photographs. I suppose for me the purpose of this particular book was to gain a better understanding of one of my favorite artists, see more of his works, and inspire me to see them in person. To these ends, this is a good book, worth lifting up every few weeks to dust your coffee table and think, "Why not flip through this again?"
October 29, 2018
As in the fashion of most people, I have always adored Klimt’s work. However, my knowledge pertaining to specifics about him and his paintings has always been small and vague. So I read this book and it was engrossing-it gave a broad overview of his work, as well as focused on specific works and themes Klimt utilized throughout his career. Especially Klimt’s often contradictory depiction of women which fluctuated between idolization to the vilified and sexualized femme fatale. Overall, this is a great book with a wealth of information and has a lot of high quality images. I highly recommend this book.
June 19, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! Learnt so much about not only Klimt's life, but other amazing artist and philosophers of the time that were mentioned in the book. Klimt's art is absolutely inspiring, and will probably read different sections of this book in the future.
October 30, 2018
A succinct and adequate introduction to Klimt's works.I started following his artwork after being intrigued by 'The Kiss' and bought the book to keep some essence of the painting with me.
I still wish there were more pictures/photos of his work process/paintings and more about his life otherwise in general as well .
I still wish there were more pictures/photos of his work process/paintings and more about his life otherwise in general as well .
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June 7, 2022About 4/5 of the way through I gave up reading and just looked at the art instead - which, after all, was the point of buying the book. The paintings and sketches were enthralling but I am still deeply confused about the majority of what the author was talking about. Lots of psychoanalysis stuff. Also some kind of personal grudge against the Austrian Empresses?
February 17, 2023
Re-read as part of my research for a University Visual Culture essay. An intimate, decorative portrait of Klimt’s life and works. Extremely immersive and beautiful. A wonderful gift edition book, as much a work of art as a reading experience. Reading it feels like visiting a gallery with a special exhibition just for me! A precious addition to my home library. Forever in love with this artist.
April 20, 2024
Pretty good read. It gives a lot of context and history around Klimt's work. Sometimes, it falls a bit short when it comes to the history of some of his most famous paintings, but maybe it is intended that way
July 7, 2020
Beuatifully illustrated with many full page pictures of Klimt's masterpieces and with many close-ups of significant details in his works.
March 18, 2022
Beautiful book, great repros of art, well organized, Writing style a bit too dry, otherwise five stars.
November 8, 2024
A great biography. Extraordinary pictures that are well layed out. Huge fan of Klimt and the book showcases his work well
January 28, 2017
I had never heard of Klimt or seen any of his work, until I randomly picked up this book while perusing through Barnes and Noble's art section one day. I was immediately struck by the cover, and the few other paintings I saw as I flipped through the book, and ended up purchasing it on a whim.
Needless to say, I'm extremely glad I picked it up, discovering one of my new favoriate artists in the process. Kudos to Stefano for laying out all of Klimt's major works, and some choice selections from those of his contemporaries, in an attractive manner. She also expertly explains Klimt's process, his general thoughts about art, and the social background of turn-of-the-century Vienna.
Klimt's style is a beauty to behold. His mix of decorative arts, geometric patterns, and semi-flat perspective create twisty, spiraling phantom-like figures that seem to spring out of nowhere and never end. As you study them and try to discern their different parts, they invoke a feeling of optical illusion.
His work with female faces and figures is sensuous, erotic, and scandalous even now. I don't know if you could appropriately call his artwork feminist, but it presents female pleasure and authority in such an upfront, positive way (completely free of judgement or misogyny) that it's quite shocking and revelatory to look at. Even more so, considering he lived 100+ years ago.
Needless to say, I'm extremely glad I picked it up, discovering one of my new favoriate artists in the process. Kudos to Stefano for laying out all of Klimt's major works, and some choice selections from those of his contemporaries, in an attractive manner. She also expertly explains Klimt's process, his general thoughts about art, and the social background of turn-of-the-century Vienna.
Klimt's style is a beauty to behold. His mix of decorative arts, geometric patterns, and semi-flat perspective create twisty, spiraling phantom-like figures that seem to spring out of nowhere and never end. As you study them and try to discern their different parts, they invoke a feeling of optical illusion.
His work with female faces and figures is sensuous, erotic, and scandalous even now. I don't know if you could appropriately call his artwork feminist, but it presents female pleasure and authority in such an upfront, positive way (completely free of judgement or misogyny) that it's quite shocking and revelatory to look at. Even more so, considering he lived 100+ years ago.
January 26, 2016
A lot of psychoanalysis in the book. A little disturbing.
April 20, 2016
The content is good but it reads like Google Translate. Would not recommend.
February 27, 2016
Interesting discussion of style but not so much about the man. Great illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews