Review Of Portrait Of Adele Bloch-Bauer By Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt, an Austrian symbolist painter, was one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession - a movement that sought to explore what art could be without the restrictions of academic tradition. Klimt’s primary subject matter was the female human body, and the majority of his artworks were characterised by a dry eroticism. His pieces, many of which featured nude bodies entwined with each other, were of great controversy amongst the Viennese art establishment. Despite this, members of Vienna’s high society were captivated by his lavish style of art and frequently commissioned for portraits. Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a Viennese banker and sugar producer, was one of them who commissioned a portrait for his wife.

Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is considered the most fully representative artwork of his “golden phase”. The portrait, composed of oil painting and silver and gold leaf on canvas, depicts Adele Bloch-Bauer sitting on a golden throne against a glittering, patterned background. She wears a bejeweled silver choker around her neck and a flowing golden dress made up of both rectilinear and triangular forms. At certain places the gold of the dress seems to merge fully into the background. Bloch-Bauer’s hair, hands, face and decolletage are painted in oil, making up less than a twelfth of the work. Klimt generates a contrast between the abstract elements of the repeating patterns in the background and dress and the more realistic depiction of the likeness of Bloch-Bauer.

Klimt generates contrasts between many elements of the artwork. Whereas he creates fine detail and a smooth, milky texture in the parts of the artwork painted with oil, the golden motifs taking up the majority of the canvas are rough in texture and disorderly, albeit intricate. The repetitive, horizontal eye-shaped patterns of the dress almost create a sense of movement, as though the fabric ripples against Bloch-Bauer’s body, and there is a subtle difference between these patterns and the vertical rectangles of the background. The cool, pallid hues of Bloch-Bauer’s skin and the sharp black of her hair generate a striking contrast with the bright jeweled tones of gold, bronze and royal blue of her dress and the background. In addition, Klimt utilises principles of design such as the rule of thirds and the rule of triangles to create a pleasing composition. When divided into nine equal rectangles, it is evident that Bloch-Bauer’s face and decolletage rest upon the power points of the leftmost middle rectangle. The rule of triangles is also applied with the tip resting at the top of Bloch-Bauer’s head, the triangle spanning down towards the her shoulders and hands. This not only forms a stable, solid composition, but is also able to draw the viewer’s attention straight to Bloch-Bauer’s face. The swirling whorls of gold dominate the portrait and almost seem to envelop Bloch-Bauer herself. This almost gives Bloch-Bauer an unearthly quality, removing her from the surroundings of her reality and transporting her into a luxurious dream of self-indulgence. Moreover, the expression on her features furthers this recurring theme of pleasure - her lips are slightly parted and her eyes are large and doe-like, forming a facial expression that suggests sensuality. It can also be noted that her dress contains symbols of erotica, including triangles, eggs, almonds and the shapes of eyes. In the portrait, Klimt transforms her from a mere woman into a figure likened by many to a religious icon. However, it is notable that there is very little of her actual body in the painting - her dress cuts across her shoulders and forearms rather abruptly, making it look as though these body parts have been severed. Bloch-Bauer was known to be one of Klimt’s mistresses despite being the husband of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, and this is reflected in the way she is portrayed in this portrait - the juxtaposition of the desireful gaze in her eyes, and the unnatural disjointing of her head, shoulders and arms.

The part of this portrait that I find most impressive would be Klimt’s striking use of media to generate contrast in the background, the dress and the depiction of Bloch-Bauer. The use of gold and silver gives the piece an abstract, surreal quality, which is juxtaposed with the smooth, fine detail in the lines of Bloch-Bauer’s facial features. In addition, I would also commend Klimt’s use of symbolism in the motifs surrounding the depiction Bloch-Bauer - some shapes are representative of the recurring theme of sensuality in the painting, while others such as the motifs of the letters A and B represent Bloch-Bauer herself. In my opinion, the use of symbolism throughout the artwork adds a layer of depth.