Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt lived from 1862 to 1918. The son of an engraver and goldsmith, Klimt trained in his early life as an historical scene-painter for public buildings in Vienna. He began to develop his personal style after the death of his brother in 1892, determined to rebel against the traditional realism of nineteenth century culture. Klimt came to be known as the center of the modern art movement, a painter and draftsman of exceptional talent and not a little vision—his paintings are both moving and psychological, cloaked in layers of emotion from fear and anxiety to hope, desire, and satisfaction.