Sunday, April 10, 2011

Gustav Klimt: important in the world of fashion?

 google images
google images
Recently I have come to the realization that I cannot escape Gustav Klimt. He is everywhere. Well, at least he is everywhere in my life.

For those of you who have not discovered this famous Austrian painter, you better read on.

Klimt is a god.

I first discovered Klimt in my art history class last year. After learning of his work I traveled to Vienna to see his creations firsthand.  His work is so genius that I ventured back to the Belvedere museum several times. I've also had to write a few German presentations on him and I keep falling in love. While I was in New York a couple weeks ago, there was a Klimt exhibit near the Upper East Side.

Klimt was born near Vienna in the mid-1800s. His favorite subject was the female body, though his early work was considered mainly academic as he focused on architecture. Early in his career he was commissioned to paint murals in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (also a must see museum in Vienna). He kept busy painting murals in many buildings throughout Vienna. However, after the deaths of several of his male relatives, Klimt had to take financial responsibility for his family.

The deaths of his family members affected his personal art style drastically. Klimt's audience obviously noticed a change in his work and it was offered referred to as "pornographic." Due to the sexuality of his paintings, Klimt's audience found his work disturbing and several of his works were destroyed.

Besides the sexuality of his paintings, Klimt is most well-known for his use of gold leaf. His inspiration for the method came from Byzantine, Minoan and Greek art.

Now what does Klimt have to do with fashion?

While John Galliano was head designer at Dior, the 2008/2009 spring/summer collection closely resembled Klimt's work. Models strutted down the catwalk in silk gowns adorned in gold or sprinkled with gems.

Klimt fanatic, Ariana Sewell, thinks Galliano's use of Klimt-inspired looks was brillant.

"I think more designers should look back into the history of art to find inspiration," Sewell said. "There are so many current trends being recycled from previous decades, and I would like to see designers find new inspirations by linking the world of fashion with art."

Fashion is art after all.

1 comment:

  1. Interesting post.

    Not being a fashion conscious person, I have not given much thought to the inspiration of designers.

    The next time I go to an art museum I will try to observe potential artists to see any potential fashion inspirations and observe those who have already been used as inspirations.

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