| GUSTAV KLIMT (1862-1918) | |||
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Poetry (1902) KL 27 h. 28 cm
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The tranquil female figure, holding a
kithara, is part of the right panel of the allegorical fresco The
Beethoven frieze which Klimt painted for the Sezession exhibition held
in 1902, which was centered round Max Klinger’s sculpture of Beethoven.
The painting shows the stages which man, and in particular the artist,
has to go through during the quest for great happiness. In the end
poetry manages to satisfy this desire. Poetry is symbolized by a figure
inspired by paintings on vases from ancient Greece. She plays her
Kithara, a sort of lyre given to mankind by the god Apollo, from which
the word guitar is derived.
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A year after Klimt had finished his famous Beethoven frieze, in which the Golden Knight has a central position, again, he painted a knight figure as a symbol for the toilsome quest for absolute freedom to live and think, and thus to express oneself. Because only art can lead us to our ideal domain, the artist is heading the battle. For this Klimt was inspired by Richard Wagner’s vision on the first part of Beethoven’s ninth symphony – “A great battle taken up by the soul, which is struggling for joy with the pressure of the hostile force which stands between us and the earth’s happiness.” – and it appears to be the basic thought behind this first part.
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Life is a struggle (1903) KL 28 h. 21 cm |
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KL 29 ADÈLE BLOCH -BAUER 25 C |
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