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Gustav Klimt
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Gustav Klimt, (14 July 1862 – 6 February 1918) born near Vienna, is considered one of the major representatives of the Art Nouveau. In his drawings, painting and frescoes, he dispenses with spatial effects emphasizing ornamental and decorative elements, often supported by his mosaic-type use of gold and silver coating, which was marked by positive critical reaction and great success. The celebration of beauty, and especially of female beauty, was the focus of his work. His frequent portrayal of nude entwined bodies was considered offensive and sometimes obscene by his contemporaries. But, they are most appreciated today. In truth, Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his numerous pencil sketches. Klimt was a founding member and the first president of the group of brilliant Austrian artists known as the Vienna Secession. His most well-known work is, 'The Kiss'. Klimt wrote little about his vision or his methods and kept no diary. In a rare writing called "Commentary on a non-existent self-portrait", he states "I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself as a subject for a painting than I am in other people, above all women...There is nothing special about me. I am a painter who paints day after day from morning to night...Whoever wants to know something about me... ought to look carefully at my pictures."
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