Review Of “Portrait Of Adele Bloch-Bauer” By Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt is an Austrian artist who lived from the year 1862 to 1918. His area of interest was portrait painting, and his style is best characterised by his use of gold paint, his detailed patterns in which he contrasted with the bodies of his subject matter (typically women), as well as his use of symbolism. He was the leader of the Vienna Secession movement which aimed to “show the modern man his true face”, which Klimt did through his work whose messages included pleasure, sexual liberation, and pain.
The piece “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” is a piece that was commissioned by a husband, Ferndinad Bloch-Bauer, to portray his wife Adele Bloch-Bauer who was a mistress of Klimt’s. It depicts a woman in the foreground, posed upon a throne of gold, dressed lavishly in a gown of gold with her hair done up in a formal manner, who looks off with her hands held together. The background appears to be a room just as lavish as the throne, as it is gold, with a floor of green. Adele appears to be content as she sits upon the throne, looking off into the distance. The composition of the piece relies mainly on the rule of thirds and triangle rule. The woman is aligned along one of the vertical lines dividing the piece in three, the piece is balanced using the squares of white on the left side. The hands of Adele are also posed to sit on one of the power-points of the grid. As for the triangle rule, Klimt uses the edges of Adele’s gown and her head to form a triangle and thus, stability in his work amongst the clutter of pattern.
Klimt utilises contrast in a variety of ways, from contrasting tones of gold and browns and bits of green, to the contrast of implied texture through pattern and the opaque, smooth porcelain body of the woman and her raven black hair. The concept of space in the body of work is implied by the patch of green in the background that the woman is placed in front of. This piece has an overall regal tone to the piece which is achieved through Klimt’s use of gold foil and depiction of Adele in a gown sat upon a throne with her hair done up formally. The wistful facial expression of Adele, her hand pose, elongated neck and exposed clavicle help to express the elegance she possesses which also adds to the regal tone of the piece. You can also see the use of triangles and pyramid-esque patterns of the piece where you can see Klimt’s Egyptian influence. Additionally, the patterning in the piece which divides up Adele’s limbs and head, give the appearance of a floating head which gives the impression of mutilation and thus the objectification of her body, which one can conclude is sexual by her relationship with Klimt as a mistress of his.
I have an overall appreciation for the piece, for the skill put into this piece and tone of the work. I like Klimt’s use of contrast between smooth simplified Adele, and intricate patterns of her gown and throne. I also find this piece transcends time which is amazing considering when it was created.
