Gustav KlimtAustrian, 1862–1918Männlicher Akt
May one see it?
Unknown
Belvedere
Vienna, Austria
The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
In the museum's own words — in German
Diese männliche Aktstudie ist eines der frühesten Gemälde Gustav Klimts. Es handelt sich um ein typisches Beispiel aus dem akademischen Lehrbetrieb. Klimt ist Schüler der Klasse für dekorative Malerei an der k. k. Kunstgewerbeschule in Wien und hat dadurch Zugang zur akademischen Ausbildung zum Historienmaler. Arbeiten wie diese sind nicht zum Verkauf am Kunstmarkt bestimmt, sondern dienen als Übung. Das Modell kniet in einem schmucklosen Atelierraum auf einfachen gestapelten Holzkisten. Die Pose mit der Abwehrhaltung der rechten Hand erinnert an Figuren auf antiken Schlachtsarkophagen. Klimt studiert hier also auf möglichst naturalistische Weise eine klassische Bildformel.
Belvedere
Particulars
In the catalog
Sources
- Belvedere
- Image: Belvedere — CC BY-SA 4.0
Meanwhile, in the life of Gustav Klimt
The whole life1862–1884
A childhood of poverty and moves
Klimt's father often struggled to find work and the family lived in poverty: between 1862 and 1884 it had no fewer than five addresses, moving in search of cheaper lodgings.
1876–1883 · Education
University of Applied Arts Vienna
1876–1883
Teachers Laufberger and Berger; the example of Makart
Klimt studied architectural painting under Ferdinand Laufberger and, after Laufberger's death in 1881, under Julius Victor Berger. He revered Hans Makart, Vienna's foremost history painter, and aspired to repeat his success.
1883
A joint studio in Vienna
After leaving the school Gustav, Ernst and Matsch moved into a joint studio; among their early jobs were ancestral portraits based on engravings for Peleș Castle, the Romanian royal palace. In 1886 they painted the ceiling and curtain of the Karlsbad municipal theatre.
1884
Makart's death opens the way for the trio
The sudden death of Hans Makart, to whom every commission the Klimts and Matsch applied for had gone, opened opportunities to others. The trio's first inherited commission was the decoration of Empress Elisabeth's bedroom in the Hermesvilla with scenes from “A Midsummer Night's Dream”; the delighted patrons at once commissioned the villa's salon as well.
