Gustav Klimt and the Female Form in His Art

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes and reviews the work of Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt, who is considered a leading exponent of Art Nouveau and one of the greatest decorative painters of the 20th century. The paper describes several of Klimt's more famous works of art, explains his artistic style and the themes exhibited in his work, and explains what makes Klimt one of the most prominent artists in the history of erotic art.

From the Paper:

"The Austrian painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), has long been considered the leading exponent of Art Nouveau and one of the greatest decorative painters of the 20th century. His artistic renderings of the female figure and his drawings that pertain to the theme of female sexuality have assured him a place in the history of erotic art. According to George Fliedel, "There is no denying that the erotic represented one of Klimt's most important sources of inspiration" (167), for in his later paintings, sexual subject matter is often concealed beneath a gossamer web of ornament, but in his drawings, the explicitly erotic is constantly evident. Seldom have the themes of sexual coupling and female masturbation been more frequently or more exquisitely portrayed than in a number of Klimt's most famous works of art. Contemporary critics, as well as earlier commentators, have observed that explicitly sexual subjects incited Klimt to produce some of his finest paintings."

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