Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Each of the attractively designed, compact, and well-illustrated hardcover books in this series deals with a specific facet of an artist's career. As with any series, the quality of the titles vary-though the translations from the German are all dotted with odd grammatical constructions and the occasional ambiguity.

Sagner-Duchting's discussion of Claude Monet's work at Giverny is a good introduction to the artist's important contribution to Impressionism as well as a careful analysis of his great series of grain stacks and water lilies. Partsch focuses on Klimt's relationships with women-both as an artist and as a man-offering a good, detailed account of Klimt and Emilie Floge (a fashion designer and perhaps his true love). The one disappointment is the work on Rodin and Claudel. Schmoll is defensive about the attention and praise given sculptor Camille Claudel in recent years (often, admittedly, at the expense of Rodin).

His portrayal of Claudel in this brief book is at times quite negative and at odds with the picture that has emerged from the work of Reine-Marie Paris (Camille Claudel, National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1990). The "Pegasus Library" aims to provide a focused study of one aspect of an artist's oeuvre in an inexpensive format. Previous subjects include Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Vasily Kandinsky (all LJ 11/1/94). Although individual titles may be of interest to libraries, the narrow focus and variations in quality make the series as a whole an optional purchase.
Martin R. Kalfatovic, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
The enfant terrible of the Viennese art scene, Klimt was notorious for his portraits of beautiful women. Illustrated with color reproductions, this book profiles the women who figured in the artist’s life and on his canvasses. The author looks beyond the standard assumption that Klimt was a hard-hearted philanderer, pointing instead to his committed and loving relationship with Emilie Flöge that prevailed despite the parade of beautiful women who wandered in and out of theartist’s studio. Partsch demonstrates Klimt’s role in the evolution of portrait painting, which helped usher in the age of Expressionism.

About the Author
SUSANNA PARTSCH is a freelance journalist who lives and works in Munich, Germany.



Product Details
Paperback: 120 pages
Publisher: Prestel Publishing (May 30, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 3791332821
Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.15 pounds

Customer Reviews

A FRESH LOOK AT KLIMT'S WOMEN,
Reviewer: Gail Cooke (TX, USA)
This small volume is almost a tapestry of the vibrant colors the artist used in his unparalleled depictions of women. Termed by some the enfant terrible of turn-of-the-century Vienna, his work nonetheless often represented the confounding relationship between artist and society women at that time.
A lifelong bachelor and known profligate, Klimt was eclectic in his tastes, showering his favors upon wealthy patrons as well as poor models.
Although still a controversial figure, letters that have come to light in recent years allow the author to reexamine Klimt's relationships and offer readers a fresh look at the paintings inspired by these women.