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La Médecine (1897-1898), oil on canvas, Gustav Klimt. Scanned by yours truly.
So, Klimt was commissioned by the University of Vienna to work on a series of projects, known as the Faculty Paintings, to decorate the ceiling of the institution’s Great Hall. Three paintings had been presented: Philosophy, Medicine and Jurisprudence, which, when presented to the public, were all received with great criticism for their controversial character; the Medicine, notably, for its nudes, which were considered obscene, but also for its depiction of human suffering, which undermined the symbols of healing and science which Klimt was supposed to honor. Another superb piece, in my humble opinion.
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Judith (1901), oil on canvas, Gustav Klimt. Scanned by yours truly.
i just love every single rendition of Judith and Holofernes, starting of course with every single one painted by Artemisia Gentileschi, then probably Franz von Stuck’s, then Giorgione’s, Tintoretto’s, Trophime Bigot’s, and THEN it would have to go to Klimt’s incredible study of Judith, with Holofernes’ head looming darkly in the corner.
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Klimt enthusiasts, be aware! I have a book of his works that has been sitting around for a while and I finally decided to try to scan some of my favorite pieces of him…so stay tuned! I’ll start you off with his painting of one of my also favorite composers, Franz Schubert, who’s mercilessly described as this short, ugly, and timid man—unless he’s had a drink or two. He’s said to have had a very unfortunate life, only ever livelier when playing and singing around friends. The second movement of Symphony No. 8, or Große Sinfonie (The Great), is my top favorite pick from him, with the String Quintet (Streichquintett) in close 2nd.
Schubert at the Piano (1899), oil on canvas, Gustav Klimt.
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Klimt - Danae / 1907
canvas; 77 × 83 cm, and was in the Galerie Würthle in Vienna until it closed in 1995.
From the symbolism* artist Gustav Klimt this painting named Danae represents Danae’s Greek myth.
Zeus, the king of the gods, was famous for not being faithful to his wife, Hera. He often fell in love with mortal women and would transform himself into different shapes to reach them.
In Danaë’s story, the real problem starts with her father, Acrisius. An oracle tells him that one day his grandson will kill him. Terrified, he locks Danaë in a tower so she can never have a child.
He thinks he can escape fate by controlling her life.
But in Greek myths, you can’t really escape destiny. Zeus turns himself into a shower of golden rain so he can enter the tower and reach Danaë.
In Gustav Klimt’s painting, we see this exact moment. Danaë is lying on her side, wrapped in rich fabrics, while the golden rain falls between her legs. She is completely alone in the composition. Unlike other artists who added more characters or dramatic settings, Klimt focuses only on her.
In the painting the scene seems intimate as she remain alone in that moment. It’s not just a mythological story, it becomes a symbol of desire, fate, and transformation, shown in Klimt’s signature golden style called the
“Golden Phase” where he composed his most famous painting like “The kiss”.
*Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically.
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clay interpretation of Klimt’s “the kiss” from my first semester of college
ceramic, 2023
