Gustav Klimt's birch wood paintings, 1903. Feel like a surreal version of some childhood picture book to me

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203 points · 15 comments · view on lemmy.world

15 Comments

ace_garp@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 310d

I've never seen these Klimt birch works.

Thank you.

i_love_FFT@jlai.lu · 7 pts · 310d (2 replies)

Doesn't look that much surreal to me!

metoosalem@feddit.org · 4 pts · 310d (1 reply)
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i_love_FFT@jlai.lu · 1 pts · 309d

Yeah, maybe it's the small screen in which I can't see the intended effect... I didn't want to take anything away from the paintings, they're wonderful!

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 310d (2 replies)

Dear lord, Klimt’s stuff is unsettling. (Most of it)

shane@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 310d

Interesting. I've never thought of his work as unsettling.

Ougie@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 309d

Interesting, I found his theme selection and overall style to be the exact opposite. Goya's black paintings, now that's unsettling...

takeheart@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 310d

Despite being rather flat the textures (esp the tree bases) come off as very real. It's a bit unsettling really. Well done Gustav.

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 2 pts · 310d (6 replies)

Personally I like them, but am left wondering if he ever really mastered light & shade.

Indeed, I'm not sure he ever really needed to, based on his main body of work.

SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 310d (5 replies)

He did, just didn't stylistically utilize it. Like Picasso abandoning all traditional techniques despite being an expert at it

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 1 pts · 310d (4 replies)

Do you know of any particular examples? (of Klimt's light & shadow work)

SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 310d

Blind man, 1896.

Portrait work he did early career but work he still highly valued.

SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 310d (2 replies)

Portrait of an old man, 1896.

These could've been a post of their own lol

Edit. Looks a bit like professor McGonagall. (Forgot her real name)

JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 1 pts · 310d (1 reply)

Cool! Thanks for sharing those!

SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 310d

There was a period he was training to be an art teacher and made a lot of academic paintings. He also became a historical painter par excellence. This obviously involved the more traditional academic style. Like his male nude for example.

SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 303d

Will now mostly be posting on !visualarts@lemmy.dbzer0.com

Come join the comm ❤️