Drawing From The Modern

Average customer rating:

should have been better

Don't waste your money!

DRAWING from the MODERN

Drawing From The Modern
Andre Breton , Paul Gauguin , Georges Bataille , Jodi Hauptman , Hans Bellmer , Constantin Brancusi , Paul Cezanne , Marc Chagall , Giorgio De Chirico , Robert Delaunay , Andre Derain , Arthur Dove , Alexandra Alexandrovna Exter , Arshile Gorky , Juan Gris , Gustav Klimt , Wilfredo Lam , Filippo Marinetti , and Joan Miro
Manufacturer: The Museum of Modern Art, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing (Themes)

Drawing Now: Eight Propositions

Vitamin P: New Perspectives in Painting

Infinite Possibilities: Serial Imagery In 20th-Century Drawings

Experimental Drawing

ASIN: 0870706632
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Book Description

Many of the key achievements in art of the last 125 years have been worked out on paper. From pictorial investigations that expanded the possibilities of vision to the invention of entirely new kinds of media, drawing has been the perfect laboratory for avant-garde experimentation. Drawing from the Modern traces such groundbreaking innovation through the unparalleled holdings of the drawings collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Drawing has historically been understood as a mark or line on paper--the record of a bodily gesture, an inscription of the action of the hand, an expression of the mind. Since the 1880s, however, artists have sought to interrupt these seemingly unbreakable links between mark, hand, and imagination. Defying long-held definitions of drawing and rejecting traditional materials, modern artists invented a host of practices, altering not only the field of drawing but artmaking in general. Examining masterworks from the Museum's collection of nearly 7,000 works on paper in three chronological volumes beginning in the 1880s and continuing through today, Drawing from the Modern reconsider artists' repudiation of traditional drafting methods, assault on the use of the single sheet of paper, and introduction of new materials. Going to the heart of avant-garde innovation, all three volumes showcase new formal strategies, including collage, abstraction, chance, and the integration of text and image, as well as new subject matter, including the urban experience, the body, and identity. Volume I, presented here, spans the period from 1880 to 1940, and includes work by such artists as Jean Arp, Hans Bellmer, Paul Cazanne, Arshile Gorky, Georgia O'Keeffe, Odilon Redon, and Kurt Schwitters. Volume II, available in Spring 2005, will cover 1940 to 1975, and Volume III, available in Fall 2005, will bring us from 1975 to the present day.

Customer Reviews:

should have been better.......2007-09-13

I purchased book 1 & 2 from Amazon. The illustrations are far too small to be a professionally represented art book from MOMA I've decided to save my money rather than pay out for the 3rd edition. It sounds a good buy from its description but I don't consider this trilogy to be very satisfactory.

Don't waste your money!.......2007-08-09

This is not a good artbook. The images are way too small to be satisfying. This book could have been great, but falls way short of its potential. Don't buy it, you will be disappointed.

DRAWING from the MODERN.......2006-12-27

DRAWING from the MODERN is the first of a three part series published by MOMA as catalogue to accompany the chronologically arranged exhibitions of their drawing collection; in part, celebration of the seventy fifth anniversary of the founding of the Museum.

This first book looks at the late nineteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth. Care and preservation of these drawings dictate that they are displayed infrequently, paper being a delicate medium, subject to fading, discoloration and brittleness. The publication of this series then allows us to have at hand a history of drawings seldom seen, and a visual education demonstrating how problems of that era both evolved and worked themselves out.

The introduction by Jodi Hauptman is broad and well worth reading. Aside from her entertaining "end of art" stories, she addresses artists and process leading to the dissolution of prevalent notions: relationship of "mark" to "ground", took new form; spatial notions of an orderly page, questioned; the element of chance, explored as process; the ego relationship of an artist to work, dissolving. New imagery happened: collage, abstraction, grids, enhanced emotions, metaphors of feeling, the sublime re-imaged. New subjects explored brutalities of war, notions of "city", identity, the spiritual, and the abstract.

As perhaps with all process of art, the uncertainty of change brought forth much that is new. The 139 plates of drawings both demonstrate and give testimony by leading artists of the time to new era in process. Drawing as subject matter is fascinating. To be expected, the book is well printed. Of course, what is book one without book two and three?

Nancy Gutrich

Gustav Klimt: The Beethoven Frieze and the Controversy over the Freedom of Art

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Gustav Klimt: The Beethoven Frieze and the Controversy over the Freedom of Art

Manufacturer: Prestel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3791337572

Book Description

Focusing on Gustav Klimt's famous mural, this book reveals the story behind the Beethoven Frieze and the role it played in Vienna's cultural heyday.

Created by Klimt for the XIV Exhibition of the Secession in 1902--also known as the Beethoven Exhibition--the Beethoven Frieze remains one of the most important examples of Vienna Art Nouveau, and one of the highlights of Klimt's career. Based on Richard Wagner's interpretation of Beethoven's ninth symphony, it displays Klimt's artistic opinions, passions and impressions. As a vehicle through which Klimt struggled to express the spiritual in terms of the visual, its elaborate decoration and frank eroticism reflect the debate between tradition and modernism that was raging in fin de siÃ¨cle Vienna. In this book, more than 200 images in color and duotone offer close-up details of the frieze's panels and give an overall perspective of the grandiose work. Stephan Koja discusses the Beethoven exhibition as a collective work of art, while other essays describe the techniques Klimt used to create the frieze and those employed to preserve it, its place in Klimt's oeuvre, and its importance as a symbol of Vienna's artistic community.

Average customer rating:

Deep in the senses
exquisite
slightly disappointed

Gustav Klimt: Drawings & Watercolors
Rainer Metzger
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 050023826X

Book Description

The best of Klimt's drawings and watercolors, beautifully reproduced in full color.

There is no doubt about Gustav Klimt's greatness as a draftsman. Remarkable above all is the intensely sensual mood that he establishes in his limpid, fluid drawings and watercolors: the pencil or crayon line with which his subjects are described explores and caresses as though the act of drawing was itself a seduction. Klimt's drawings are often highly erotic and explicit, many to such an extent that they have rarely been reproduced. This has made for an unbalanced representation of his work as a draftsman, and a comprehensive survey of his graphic output is long overdue.

Rainer Metzger, a noted art historian, has brought together hundreds of Klimt's drawings and watercolors in a way that enriches our knowledge of the artist and enhances the visual impact of his oeuvre. Klimt's drawings and studies, and his elegantly direct and dangerously intoxicating preparatory sketches, reveal the underlying impetus for and structure of his elaborate canvases. 307 color illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Deep in the senses.......2007-05-25

Wonderful. Quick, immediate, and from the heart - or some other organ of animal intensity. Despite the title, there aren't so many watercolors, nearly none. The drawings are superb, though.

Klimt was an intense sensualist. He was often photographed in a floor-length painter's smock, probably wearing nothing underneath. Also, he was commonly seen in his studio amid models not just nude but naked, in intimate and revealing poses, often in couples and more-somes. Add in the fact that Klimt acknowledged three children out of wedlock, and posthumously faced claims of fourteen more. He was clearly a man profoundly moved by female beauty. His life ouvre of painting shows that.

Thousands of his drawings are available to scholars, but the few hundred here show Klimt's passion even more clearly than his lush paintings ever did. Some are studies for his well-known paintings; he was known to do hundreds in preparation for major works. Other sketches can also be traced to known paintings, though with less certainty. Still others are too vividly sensual to have been shown in his own time.

The author includes helpful and revealing biographical notes, largely at the beginning and end of the thick book. I must caution readers with eyes aging like mine are - although the lines of type have wide, airy spacing and low x-height, the text itself looks like 8-point or smaller. Some readers will be so physically uncomfortable from eyestrain that they will lose all the value, or at least enjoyment in those written words. Dear author and publisher: check the book's layout with graying readers before committing it to type, I beg you.

Outside of that, the physical presentation is impeccable. The book is thick, as I said, but that is largely due to the heavy, bright, opaque stock on which the pages are printed - it's a 400 page book with 600 page bulk. I am not criticizing. That quality of paper takes the fine detail of the reproduced drawings beautifully, without glare, and without showing through from the back. It looks and feels luxurious. The book's rich physical sense perfectly complements its visual sensuality. I recommend this book very highly, whether your interest is in Klimt, in arts related to Nouveau, or in simply womanly beauty.

//wiredweird

exquisite.......2006-10-25

This is a truly beautiful book, filled with lovely, erotic, sensual, and daring artwork in multiple stages of creation, and every other book I have seen on Klimt pales by comparison. My only wish is that the text could have gone more in depth - but I can forgive that small failing because of the sheer beauty of the presentation and of the pictures themselves. There are MANY pictures, making it far more satisfying than some of the other, cheaper books, and all nicely presented, glossy, with and without color but always with clarity of presentation. One aspect I particularly like is the way this book shows the evolution of Klimt's work - the gradations and sometimes combinations of different sketches into a finished product. There is also an interesting chapter towards the end that compares and contrasts the work of Klimt with some of his contemporaries, showing their paintings side by side with similar ones of his, and analyzing the differences. As far as text goes, that was the most interesting part. But really, when you are turning the pages and seeing sketch after glorious sketch, you don't care so much about what the text lacks.

I should also mention that of all the art books I have seen, this is the best if you want a wide and beautiful range of drawings of the female form (nude in particular).

slightly disappointed.......2006-08-13

I love the drawing style of Klimt and Schiele but the overall experience was spoilt by he poor text typeface and the miniscule point size. Buy it for the pictures, not the words!

Gustav Klimt: Erotic Sketches / Erotische Skizzen (Erotic Sketchbook)

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
Not worth the pretty binding and ribbons.

Gustav Klimt: Erotic Sketches / Erotische Skizzen (Erotic Sketchbook)
Gustav Klimt
Manufacturer: Prestel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3791333968

Book Description

This unique and intimate treasure of a book captures the sensual pleasure of an artist's sketchbook as well as the genius behind Klimt's vision of women.

Throughout his career, Gustav Klimt completed hundreds of paintings and drawings of delicate beauty, many of them featuring the female form. Designed to imitate an artist's sketchbook, this exquisite volume culls the artist's most beautiful erotic sketches and watercolors. The experience of viewing it awakens the senses, while affording the reader the guilty pleasure of leafing through an artist's most private visions. The stunning color reproductions, embossed cover and calf binding make this a perfect gift for lovers of art and for lovers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2007-07-07

I bought this book because I saw the exhibit at the Musee Maillot in Paris in 2005 and stupidly didn't buy their book of the drawings as I thought I could buy it here it here in the US. (Which isn't possible). This is an extremely disappointing pick of very few of his drawings, all of which were certainly not my favorites. There were so many which better demonstrated his skill in catching the expression, the sexuality and the beauty in very few lines I am surprised at all the inclusions and the exclusions. In my mind he picked the weaker drawings. And yes, they didn't even catch an obvious drawing inserted upside down, which unfortunately states a lot since there are so few of them.

Not worth the pretty binding and ribbons........2005-12-12

The presentation is great - I thought this would be a treat. Great binding, nice ribbon, and maybe this would make a good introduction to Klimt's erotic figure-work BUT . . .! There are only 56 drawings, most of them have been seen and reproduced in other books. An index gives specific information about the images but since the pages are unnumbered, good luck trying to match a drawing with its description.

The drawings are not in chronological order so you can't see Klimt's style change. The drawings are cut off and cropped sloppily and set on the page arbitrarily; some in the middle of the page, others shoved to the top or bottom for no particular reason. Actual image quality varies since the drawings are taken from a variety of sources; some look as if they were hastily run through Photoshop to clean them up. (But if you tell this was done, if you can SEE the digital manipulation, that doesn't say much, now does it?) Judging by the screen dots and other indicators some drawings show, a lot of these drawings were scanned from other books, run through a Photoshop-type of program to fill out the page - and not very diligently. I think the publishers were trying to be artistic. Or something. They've failed miserably.

Thames & Hudson did an Egon Schiele book a while ago that shows you CAN do this kind of thing well, at a great price and with tons of illustrations, not just 56. In April of 2006, they are going to release a Klimt book. Skip this feeble Prestel book and wait for the T&H book.

One last observation about the book at hand: the drawing on page 34 is badly placed at the bottom of the page . . . and is UPSIDE DOWN.

Average customer rating:

A fine debut
The best book I have read in a LONG time.
NO LOVE LOST HERE
Klimntomania
A luminous look at a decadent Vienna on the brink of change

The Painted Kiss: A Novel
Elizabeth Hickey
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743492617

Download Description

"In her passionate and atmospheric debut novel, The Painted Kiss, Elizabeth Hickey reimagines the relationship between Gustav Klimt and the woman whose name he uttered with his dying breath. Vienna in 1886 was a city of elegant cafés, grand opera houses, and a thriving and adventurous artistic community. It was there that twelve-year-old Emilie Flöge met the controversial libertine and painter Gustav Klimt. When Klimt is hired by Emilie's bourgeois father to give her some basic drawing lessons, he introduces her to a subculture of dissolute artists, wanton models, and decadent patrons that both terrifies and fascinates her. The Painted Kiss follows the developing relationship between Klimt and Emilie, who blossoms from a naive girl to a sanguine woman, becoming mistress to one of the twentieth century's most fascinating artists and the owner of an exclusive fashion house, which Klimt helps design. Fin de siecle Vienna glitters with wealthy, beautiful women for Emilie to dress in her salon and for Klimt to undress in his studio. It is a world overflowing with the greatest artists, composers, and writers of the era, and yet doomed by the imminent collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although she is never sure of her place in Klimt's life, Emilie is a constant presence, supporting him through tragedy, self-doubt, triumph, and scandal -- and ultimately serving as the model for his greatest masterpiece. The Painted Kiss is a moving love story that is as sensual and compelling as a work by Klimt himself. "

Customer Reviews:

A fine debut.......2007-08-16

I read this novel over a year ago, but was inspired to read it again after a visit this summer to the Neue Galerie in NYC, which now houses Klimt's most famous painting of Adele Bloch-Bauer. (Ms Hickey should be pleased to know that her book is perched on a display stand next to the cash register in the Neue Galerie's bookshop.) I found the author's choice of Klimt as a subject a compelling one, and overall I enjoyed this novel very much. The only big question I'd have is about the pacing. Events toward the end get rather rushed along (WW I is here - oh, it's over) whereas toward the beginning scenes feel more drawn out. The author's second novel, The Wayward Muse, suffers less from pacing, so perhaps that's just a debut-novel thing. Both here and in The Wayward Muse, Hickey keeps her prose largely lean and to the point, which serves the subject matter well. It was interesting to stand in front of the painting of Adele Bloch-Bauer, remembering how Hickey had characterized her!

A few reviewers of this book here on amazon have complained about accuracy issues. In my opinion, for a novelist to use artistic license is not a problem as long as it's done in the service of the story, remains faithful to the spirit of the real person/time period, doesn't change clearly observable facts, and doesn't try to deceive the readers into thinking what is made-up really happened or that the fiction-writer has "discovered" some previously hidden "secret" (see: Dan Brown, don't get me started). While not being a Klimt expert myself, I didn't come away thinking Hickey had done him an injustice with her novel. She's certainly straightforward in her author's notes about her intentions and her artistic choices. She looked for 'windows' where she can create her story, which is how it should be.

The best book I have read in a LONG time........2007-08-16

I grabbed this book from the library shelf, just looking for anything to take home before my kids totally lost their minds. It sounded interesting, so I thought it was worth a shot. I was wrong, it was worth far more than just a cursory glance.

A terrific book, compelling and interesting. I can't believe this a debut novel; I am so excited to read more by this author.

NO LOVE LOST HERE.......2007-02-11

This imagined relationship between Gustav Klimt and Emilie Floge does not really engage the reader. Rather than presenting a sensual love story, both characters come across as cold and detached. The "supporting cast" is equally haughty and unsympathetic.

In addition to producing exceptional art, Klimt also produces numerous children by his various "models" yet accepts no responsibility for them, and Emilie seems steeped in doubt about eveything from her feelings for Klimt to her ability to produce fashion designs without his input. (Could they be the Viennese version of Brittany and K-Fed??). If you love Klimt's art, as I do, read about the "real" man and pass on this fictionalized version of his life. It definitely leaves much to be desired. 1 1/2 stars

Klimntomania.......2006-11-10

This novel, written from the point of view of Gustav Klimnt's mistress, provides a vicarious peek into the life of the Viennese bohemians known as the Successionists. The story will be appreciated by those who like fictional takeoffs on the life of famous artists.

A luminous look at a decadent Vienna on the brink of change.......2006-09-16

Although I dabbled in art during my formative years, I never rose to the level of "artist." That didn't stop me from falling in love with the genre I've dubbed "historical art fiction," however. In recent years, talented authors have treated us to the stories behind the paintings, including those by Vermeer ("Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier, and "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland), Leonardo Da Vinci ("Leonardo's Swans" by Karen Essex), and Artemisia Gentileschi (Susan Vreeland).

In "The Painted Kiss," Elizabeth Hickey plunges the reader into the beautiful, hectic world of turn-of-the-century Vienna, in full Art Nouveau swing. Her debut novel traces the backstory of Gustav Klimt's famous "Painted Kiss," in which a man and woman pause during an intimate moment of quiet rapture. Her narrator is Emilie Floge, one of Klimt's many lovers, and the novel begins with twelve-year-old Emilie's first glimpse of the Klimt twins as they paint during the emperor's visit.

Emilie is fascinated by Klimt, and her father secures drawing lessons with the maestro. Although she possesses some artistic talent, she knows that she will never be great at drawing, and instead turns to the world of fashion. The novel cuts between World Wars, with an elderly Emilie in exile sewing blackout curtains and awaiting the fall of Vienna. The colors, sights and sounds of Vienna's teahouses and concert halls are brought to life in a riot of fabrics, smells and sound.

Over the years, Emilie realizes that Klimt's wandering streak (including many mistresses and illegitimate children) is part of his nature, along with his bouts of melancholy and depression over his brother's untimely death. She also knows that Klimt will never exclusively be hers, but decides to take each moment she is given. Emilie becomes a renowned designer in her own right, but as tastes change, so do the clients' demands, and she eventually falls out of fashion before the start of the war.

A fascinating glimpse of the privileged world of fin-de-siecle Vienna and the unglamorous world of its artists, contrasting with the stark isolation and poverty that WWII brings, "The Painted Kiss" is a luminous debut and a welcome addition to historical art fiction.

Klimt, Schiele, Moser, Kokoschka: Vienna 1900

Average customer rating:

Exceptional Book
Klimt, Schiele, Moser, Kokoschka: Vienna 1900

Klimt, Schiele, Moser, Kokoschka: Vienna 1900

Manufacturer: Lund Humphries Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Modern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0853319340

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional Book.......2007-08-10

This book is a real winner. The color plates are fantastic! They are large and well made. Really a good book if you're into collecting art books!

Klimt, Schiele, Moser, Kokoschka: Vienna 1900.......2006-07-28

The pictures & the grahics are very good. The writers do an incredible job of analyzing the Vienna Successionsists. This book was produced for an exhition at the Grand Palais in Paris that was jointly sponsored by the Presidents of the Republics of France (Jacques Chirac) and Austria (Heinz Fischer)and reflects the high levels sponsorship. Although it was published in late 2005, it does not reflect that the Austrian Galleries were required by the Courts to retun some of the paintings that were looted by the Nazis. I was fortunate enough to see Klimt's Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer in Los Angeles and the other returned paintings. The Block-Bauer portrait is now in NYC. After seeing it, I can understand why it received the highest price of any painting that has been sold. I urge you to see it in person.

The Naked Truth: Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka And Other Scandals

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The Naked Truth: Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka And Other Scandals

Manufacturer: Prestel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 379133283X

Book Description

Vienna at the dawn of the twentieth century was a city like no other—filled with avant-garde artists and bursting with intellectual and sensual energy. But this burgeoning society was constantly at odds with the conservative and often disapproving nineteenth-century culture. This fascinating book focuses on the figures at the center of this controversy: Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and others whose radical artistic expressions were shocking as well as ground-breaking. This generously illustrated volume examines the numerous levels on which the new culture clashed with the old, including sexuality, power, and religion. It analyzes the impact these artists' works had on their surroundings, and places them in an historical context that illuminates the social and cultural debate they instigated. It also explores why art that seemed so provocative at its conception now represents a standard of excellence for the modern audience.

Average customer rating:

A gorgeous golden deck
surface and shadow
Bargain!
Gorgeous Art Deck

Golden Tarot Of Klimt
Lo Scarabeo
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0738707902

Book Description

In twentieth century Vienna, the art of Gustav Klimt held a primary position. Inspired by this modern master, Golden Tarot of Klimt is teeming with impressions, stamped in gold, that recount love, death, sensuality, and regeneration.

Customer Reviews:

A gorgeous golden deck.......2007-09-28

Although I probably won't be using this deck "seriously", to actually lay cards, it is already a treasure that has added a new artistic dimension to my contact with tarot. Beautifully printed cards that depict paintings, or details of paintings by Klimt, they are impressive both because of the look and touch of the cards, and the very sensible selection of images to fit each of the Arcana. The accompanying booklet seems to suggest that designer Atanassov was sometimes inspired by Klimt's style rather than by an actual work of his, but although I'm not such an educated Klimt fan to know, I think he did great.

surface and shadow.......2007-03-26

Due to the nature of the medium, onscreen tarot cards often look a bit brighter and more three-dimensional than the real thing but with the Klimt pack, it's the reverse. Each card is an embossed and gilded gem. The nudity is often deliberately confronting. The World depicts an enquiring female about to give birth and her belly has more surface than the rest of her body from head to toe. The nine of cups is either a eunuch or an utterly fearless middle-aged woman. Males are subjected to the same unflinching Klimt treatment of physicality; the Fool and the Hermit remind us that Klimt would have seen starvation and desperation on his doorstep. There's nothing in the LWB about Klimt and the interpretations are brief to the point of confusion. This is a pity because the images have vast narrative power. I suggest gradually record a LWB of your own associations as you work with the cards. Klimt's passion for including decorative art - textiles, tiles and lavish architectural ornament - is well exploited and the sharp swings between Klimt's era and mythological times are a thrill. The High Priestess could be Eleanor Roosevelt smiling enigmatically from the sofa. Creative angles and distortions make this deck a perfect tool for probing parallel identities and processes.

Bargain!.......2006-03-21

Many decks that feature gold printing are in the $40 range. Not only is this deck affordable but the Symbolist movement of which Klimt was a part contains a mythology that works extremely well with traditional Tarot meanings. I have over 80 decks and this one is treasured addition to my collection.

Gorgeous Art Deck.......2005-11-10

"The symbolism inherent in the Tarot is perfectly coherent with that symbolist culture that also gave origin to Klimt's work. The pictorial images of the Viennese artist are, in fact, full of hermeticism: his works seem to be depictions of a mystery and even more so an expression of emotions and drives." - From the L(ittle) W(hite) B(ook) to the Golden Tarot of Klimt

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was a Viennese artist arguably most known for his mosaic-like paintings, especially "The Kiss". Klimt combined pictorial and graphical techniques and history considers him as one of the initiators of modern design. Once a member of the collective studio "School of Arts and Crafts", Klimt and several contemporaries left the studio to form the Vienna Secession. What united this group was a rejection of tradition and moral aesthetics of the day. In fact, individuals often accused Klimt of pornography for depicting the nude body, especially ones that were full-figured, pregnant, or old.

Inspired by Klimt's allegorical subjects, A.A. Atanassov has designed a Tarot deck based on the paintings of this famed artist. The Golden Tarot of Klimt not only re-works Klimt's paintings for each card but also adorns them with stunning golden embossing. Unfortunately, web scans of the cards don't reflect these shining ornamentations.

The Golden Tarot of Klimt, published by Lo Scarabeo, follows traditional Tarot assignments: Chalices, Wands, Pentacles, and Swords for the suits, standard card names and court depictions (with Knave replacing the more common Page). A brief bio of Klimt is included in the LWB, as are the upright and reversed meanings of each card; these are provided in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and German as is customary with Lo Scarabeo companion booklets.

Black bordering provides beautiful framing for the colorful artwork; tucked near the corners of each card are four golden squares. The reversible card backings display an intricate Egyptian theme of in subdued colors.

Compared to the originals, the reproductions in this deck vary on several counts: the human complexions often appear washed out, even ashen, as does the hair. Klimt's pieces often featured bright swathes of ruby red on the cheeks of females as well as on the lips. The hair is usually vibrant and lush. However, the figures in the Golden Tarot of Klimt are often pale and many brunets look to be sporting over-used brillo pads.

For example, the Ace of Wands (based on the painting Hope II) adds a pillar, human-size wand but removes the gray "halo" over the central figure, as well as the women at her feet. Her breasts are now small and perky as opposed to the voluptuous depiction in the original. The Wheel (based on the painting Portrait of Adele Block Bauer) removes the bright red makeup of the original while sharpening the facial features.

Nevertheless, what the Golden Tarot of Klimt lacks by altering some elements, it more than makes up for with the intricate gold filigree. Artistically, this is the most striking deck I've ever seen. The gilded etchings embellish a multitude of geometric shapes, as well as the rounded pentacles, clothing accessories, pillars, backgrounds, boat sails, and more. For example, The Moon card depicts a dreaming woman surrounded by a myriad of gilt crescent moons. The pillar behind the King of Chalices is almost entirely solid gold. The Wheel card displays dozens of glittering triangles, circles, squares and spirals-even highlighting an eye of Horus.

However, I found a few of the cards in the Golden Tarot of Klimt confusing. A serious woman wearing a helmet portrays the Empress; she holds a nude human in her right hand, arms splayed at right angles. The subject appears to be a reference to Athena, which is usually associated with "airy" cards like The Queen of Swords or Justice-not the earthy, nurturing Empress. The Fool is an emaciated, nude, white-haired man holding his head in his hands as if he's just lost everything. How is this portrait of despair connected to the youthful recklessness or innocent trust of The Fool? The Strength cards shows a woman who *appears* to be holding a decapitated head by her hair. What kind of "strength" is this, exactly?

Being what LWB's are, there is no explanation for these unusual choices.

As for reading with the Golden Tarot of Klimt, I had no trouble receiving intuitive information from the evocative images. My husband and I played around doing readings based on real life (such as me trying to predict a "human interest" story from his workday and he performing a 3-card reading for me), but the accuracy seemed hit-and-miss. I'm unsure if it's the deck, the kind of questions I was asking, or if it was just an off night. (My husband's reading was accurate, but his is *always* accurate-which is frustrating since he's not even a Tarot reader!)

Regardless of any shortcomings, The Golden Tarot of Klimt is a dazzling art deck that is certainly readable. If you're anything like me, you'll open the box, "oooh!" and "ahhh!", and slowly savor each card as the light plays upon the golden accents. Its uniqueness demands a spot on the shelf of serious deck collectors as well as fans of Klimt.

(To see 9 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

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Gustav Klimt: Landscapes

Gustav Klimt: Landscapes

Manufacturer: Prestel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Themes | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Landscape | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Still Life | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Art Nouveau | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 3791337173

Book Description

While Klimt is largely revered for his opulent, symbol-laden portraits of the Viennese bourgeoisie, these works were just one aspect of his artistic expression. His landscapes represent an important facet of his career and are a valuable contribution to the school of European nature painting. For many years the artist traveled to the Austrian and Italian countryside during the summer, where he took advantage of the extraordinary light and spectacular hues to paint and sketch landscapes. Among the most exquisite of Klimt's landscapes are those in which he experimented with composition and style. Accompanied by scholarly essays, the images reproduced in this book comprise all extant landscapes from this brilliant artist, proving that his mastery extends beyond portraiture and revealing themes that appeared throughout his life's work.

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Gustav Klimt: Landscapes.......2007-02-07

It is a pleasure to have access to these beautiful works, which are more frequently overshadowed by the attention given to images of people and mythic figures for which Klimt is best known. These landscapes are revealing of both the subject matter and of Klimt the artist as he probed the composition and colors of the places that intrigued him.

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Klimt
Alfred Weidinger
Manufacturer: Prestel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 3791337645

Book Description

Grand in size and sumptuously produced, this monograph presents Klimt's complete painted works in all their opulent detail and sensuous beauty.

This uniquely exhaustive survey of the leading artist of Viennese Art Nouveau style offers art lovers an irresistible opportunity: page after page of Klimt's paintings and frescoes along with illuminating commentary about his life and career. The author presents Klimt's entire painted oeuvre on an unprecedented scale. His commentary reflects the latest academic findings, such as Klimt's newly discovered church frescoes in Istria, in chapters featuring a wide-range of topics, including Klimt and women, the Viennese Secession, landscapes, portraits, and allegories.

This volume's remarkable packaging reflects the magnificence of the work within. The book's large format allows close examination of the exquisite detail and luminescent quality of the work for which Klimt is renowned, making it a perfect gift or collector's item. Best of all, it provides viewers with an all-encompassing perspective on one of history's greatest painters.

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