Klimt Inspired Textiles
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Inspired by Gustav Klimt
People often said to me that my work reminded them of Klimt's which had never been an intention of mine originally. I just can't bear to leave a single inch of fabric undecorated in my work.
I had of course heard of Klimt and was familiar with his paintings but after people kept saying that my pieces reminded them of his paintings I took more of an interest.
Eventually I started to produce little homages to his pieces, like the image opposite. I'm not very good with figure drawing- or at least it isn't my forte. The pregnant woman opposite is "borrowed" from Klimt's painting "Die Hoffnung 2" or, in English, "Hope 2".
Below you will find more information about Klimt and which paintings I've used as inspiration.
Gustav Klimt
A brief biography.
Gustav Klimt was born on the 14th of July in 1862, in Vienna, and died in 1918 of a stroke. He left numerous unfinished paintings.
He was the second child of seven children. His father was an engraver from Bohemia.
In 1867 he joined the school of applied arts along with his two brothers, one of which often sculpted frames for Gustav's paintings.
Klimt's early work included stain glass windows and decorative building work.
Balloon Ride over Vienna, c.1847 by Jakob Alt:
Klimt helped decorate the Burgtheater and also drew portraits of the audience there, some of these portraits garnered him lucrative commissions from the upper classes of Viennese society. He didn't suffer financially but he was often ignored by the public and museums.
Klimt is most well known for his paintings of women, and in particular, "The Kiss" although over a quarter of his paintings are actually landscapes.
"I'm not particularly interesting."
Klimt was plagued by homesickness and was apparently a hypochondriac. His sister said that he needed peace and quiet. He was shy and hated public appearances. He tried to avoid making public statements about himself.
Klimt had three children with two women although his main relationship was with Emilie Floge, his former sister in law. They never married.
The 1960s saw a huge rise in popularity of Klimt's work.
Klimt has been described as the "greatest erotic painter of his period", a "psychological painter of women" and a "joyful discoverer of eros".
Carl Schorske, an American cultural historian, said "Klimt turned to women as sensual creatures and drew everything out of them in terms of lust, pain, life and death. In an unending stream of drawings, Klimt tried to gain a sense of femininity."
- Gustav Klimt
- Wikipedia entry for Gustav Klimt.
“I've had enough of censorship. I'm going to help myself now. I want to break free.”
The Beethoven Frieze 1902
Sections from the Frieze.
It's seen, by some, as a key to Klimt's work. It now hangs in a specially-converted basement in the Secession building in Vienna.
The frieze symbolises the "salvation of weak mankind". The Beethoven Frieze was inspired by Beethoven's ninth symphony.
Klimt had made the frieze with the cheapest materials he could find because it was to be a temporary piece, decorating the 14th Exhibition of the Viennese Secession.
Klimt used tin tacks, fragments of mirror, buttons and costume jewellery made from cut glass on top of a plastered wooden lattice, held together with reeds.
In the image above the "hero" of the frieze has to deal with these fearsome beasts of threatening female sexuality.
In the Beethoven frieze we find women who are sexually aggressive, chaste women, women from the upper classes and fairytale women.
In the final image of the frieze, the knight (the symbol of mankind) is saved by a kiss.
Music from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Music that inspired Klimt's Beethoven Frieze.
Red Rabbit and...
...The Kiss by Gustav Klimt.
My textiles piece "Red Rabbit" features lovers lifted from Klimt's most famous and most reproduced painting "The Kiss".
Klimt painted "The Kiss" during his "Golden Period", so called because of the sheer amount of gold leaf he applied to his paintings.
My textiles piece "Red Rabbit" was based on a song, by the same name. The lovers are at the centre of the earth in a safe cocoon. Klimt's lovers are knelt on the edge of a cliff surrounded by nature.
If you look at the patterning on Klimt's lover's clothes you'll see that they represent the figures gender. The man has been painted with dark "phallic" rectangles whereas the woman is covered in soft rounded circles. In Klimt's painting of Danae, being raped by Zeus in a shower of gold you will also find a black rectangle in amongst the gold coins.
The woman is very passive in this painting, unlike the threatening women in the Beethoven Frieze. I've always thought that it looks a bit like her head is falling off and he's holding it on.
The Tree of Life
Stoclet Frieze, c.1909.
The largest "entity" on this painting is the tree of life (or tree of knowledge).
Like the Beethoven Frieze, the Stoclet Frieze features "stuck on bits and pieces". Klimt only used the best for the Stoclet Frieze, however, including marble, copper, gold, semi-precious stones, fayences and corals.
Here you can see Klimt's style of painting very detailed realistic faces and then flattening the bodies by painting on busy patterns.
Pink Ruffly Bag and...
The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze, c.1909.
Below is just a small section of the Stoclet Frieze (shown further up this page in full).
Swirls and curls have always heavilly featured in my textiles art just like the curls in this tree's branches.
Find Out More About My Bags and Purses...
...in this lens.
Klimt by Gottfried Fliedl
A book from Taschen
Klimt (Big Art)
Amazon Price: $20.47 (as of 02/17/2012)
I'm not sure if this is exactly the same book as the one I own but it's by the same author. I bought my book in one of those warehouse clearance sales so it's probably out of print now.
Spring Art Quilt and...
...Die Hoffnung II by Gustav Klimt.
Hope 2 is a sequel to a painting that was shocking to Viennese society. The painting featured Klimt's naked model, Herma, pregnant and naked, her flowing red hair a symbol of laciviousness!
Some suggested that the original Hope painting symbolised "satanic motherhood" or a protest against Victorian models.
In Hope 2 the pregnant woman is mostly covered up with Klimt's signiature patterns and her hair is dark. It was considered less scandalous and just a simple exploration of the life cycle.
Herma didn't want to sit for any more paintings when she was pregnant but Klimt convinced her and after all she needed the money. There has been some criticism about the models not receiving enough money in comparison to how much the paintings were sold for but there have been accounts where Klimt paid for one of his model's father's funeral, and another where he paid the rent of another woman's family so that they weren't evicted from their home.
My own pregnant woman is symbolic of spring bursting with life. As I was going through the "Prudish Period" of my artwork I covered her up with daffodils! Although, in true Klimt style, I originally embroidered her naked under the flowers and then covered her up!
Drawings and Watercolours
by Klimt.
Gustav Klimt: Drawings & Watercolors
Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 02/17/2012)
Klimt's drawings are full of energy. The Klimt book I own has a section called "Klimt's erotic drawings". No doubt this book will also feature some of those- they're not for the faint-hearted to say the least!
Summer Art Quilt (work in progress) and...
...detail from The Three Ages of Woman, c.1905 by Gustav Klimt.
This is a section from "The Three Ages of Women" which also features an older woman. It's a painting exploring the life cycle of women.
I borrowed the child from this piece for my Summer art quilt (shown above).
Summer Art Quilt
Follow my progess.
Klimt- the Movie!
Starring John Malkovich.
Klimt
Amazon Price: $13.36 (as of 02/17/2012)
I didn't know they made a Klimt film. If I get over my allergy to John Malkovich I'd love to watch this!
Moth and...
...Hygieia, detail from Medicine, c. 1900-1907.
This piece wasn't a conscious or deliberate homage but the more I look at Moth, the more similarities I see between her and Hygieia. The likeness would be more obvious if Moth was mainly red, instead of pink.
Hygieia and her painting Medicine were surrounded with controversy. The larger painting shows a "pile" of bodies in various states of decay. Karl Kraus, an Austrian writer and journalist, called it a painting "...in which the chaotic confusion of decrepit bodies symbolises the situation in a state hospital..."
Dress Up in Klimt!
Check out this time featuring "The Kiss"!
Men's The Kiss Gustav Klimt Silk Tie by Wild Ties in Yellow
Amazon Price: (as of 02/17/2012)
I'm not sure whether this is funny or awful but it sure will jazz up your suit!
“Klimt turned to women as sensual creatures and drew everything out of them.”
Water Nymph and...
...Water Serpents I, c.1907 by Gustav Klimt.
The female figure in the textiles piece above was made from handmade felt. I borrowed the shape of her body from one of the figures in the painting below. I love the flattened long silhouette of the second woman in this piece, although mine turned out a lot more "normal" looking to the "slab" of space that Klimt painted.
Want to Know More About My Felt Work?
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Find out more about Gustav Klimt...
...on Amazon.
Gustav Klimt: In Search of the Total Artwork
Amazon Price: $55.87 (as of 02/17/2012)
Ive not read this book but it sounds lovely. It apparently includes the Beethoven Frieze in its entirety.
What Next?
My plans for more textiles.
Wow! This is one hideous skirt (no offense to anyone who might have a similar skirt!).
But you know what?
This is going to make a fabulous textiles pieces!
The colours and patterning remind me a little of a mixture between Klimt's paintings and Hundertwasser's.
Better yet, it's made with manmade fabric so it's going to melt amazingly well!
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but I'm looking forward to finding out!
Recycle Fabric!
In this lens I tell you where I get my fabrics from and how I turn them into beautiful textiles.
Klimt and His Cat
Klimt for kids!
Klimt and His Cat
Amazon Price: $12.81 (as of 02/17/2012)
This book looks so adorable- almost as good as the Frida Kahlo book for kids.
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dawngibson Jul 5, 2011 @ 5:32 pm | delete
- This is epic! Thanks so much.
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r2fish
Mar 21, 2011 @ 3:39 am | delete
- I enjoyed reading through your lens...it's very interesting and learned so much from it. Thanks.
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d-artist
Jun 13, 2010 @ 8:44 am | delete
- Wow what great art you have made and from the inspiration of one of my favorite artist, Klimt.
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Laniann
Aug 8, 2009 @ 8:29 pm | delete
- Of Course I Love This Lens! Also good taste in music. 5*
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MeltedRachel
Jun 11, 2009 @ 6:40 am | in reply to LizMac60 | delete
- Thank you :)
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