Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Emerging in the "joyful apocalypse" that was 1900s Vienna, Gustav Klimt embodied the contradictions of a time when Austria's new moralistic fervor and its rising nationalism existed alongside Vienna's decadent demimonde. Metzger's book focuses on Klimt's experiences as an artist, tracking his development from president of the Viennese Secession to his mentorship of Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele, as well as tracing his movements from historicism through naturalism to modernism.

Though the book touches only lightly on Klimt's personal life, the scandalous nature of his work, his illegitimate children and the haremlike working conditions of his studio, it provides a detailed portrait of the changes and inconsistencies that defined Vienna at the time, when Secessionist principles of freedom from artistic judgment met simultaneous demands for high standards and the "parallel pursuit of collectivity and individuality."

The substantial volume also contains hundreds of reproductions of Klimt's works on paper, many of them previously unpublished; though the reproductions are small, they give readers an excellent sense of Klimt's expressionist line, his mosaic-like use of color and his interest in portraits and female nudes. This superior collection of images provides fresh insight into Klimt's aesthetics and the trends and times from which they emerged. (Apr. 24)
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Book Description
The best of Klimt's drawings and watercolors, beautifully reproduced in full color. There is no doubt about Gustav Klimt's greatness as a draftsman. Remarkable above all is the intensely sensual mood that he establishes in his limpid, fluid drawings and watercolors: the pencil or crayon line with which his subjects are described explores and caresses as though the act of drawing was itself a seduction. Klimt's drawings are often highly erotic and explicit, many to such an extent that they have rarely been reproduced. This has made for an unbalanced representation of his work as a draftsman, and a comprehensive survey of his graphic output is long overdue.

Rainer Metzger, a noted art historian, has brought together hundreds of Klimt's drawings and watercolors in a way that enriches our knowledge of the artist and enhances the visual impact of his oeuvre. Klimt's drawings and studies, and his elegantly direct and dangerously intoxicating preparatory sketches, reveal the underlying impetus for and structure of his elaborate canvases. 307 color illustrations.

About the Author
Rainer Metzger has written numerous books on art and music, including volumes on van Gogh, Chagall, John Cage, and Erik Satie. He is a professor at the Karlsruhe Academy of Art in Germany.



Product Details
Hardcover: 440 pages
Publisher: Thames & Hudson (April 24, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 050023826X
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.76 pounds

Customer Reviews

slightly disappointed
Reviewer: sculptor (Sydney Oz)
I love the drawing style of Klimt and Schiele but the overall experience was spoilt by he poor text typeface and the miniscule point size. Buy it for the pictures, not the words!