Gustav Klimt was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the pioneers of modernism with paintings such as The Kiss. Klimt used different techniques to create his paintings, for instance, gold leaf, tempera, and oil painting. His works show mystical motifs and eroticism, but he also combines realism with extreme decorativism, which can be seen in the background of his works and the clothing of his figures.
His international recognition is so great that there are several films nowadays that highlight his person and his paintings:
- Woman in Gold: starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds (Self/Less), the film tells the story of a woman's journey to reclaim her inheritance and obtain justice for what happened to her family. Sixty years after fleeing Vienna during World War II, a Jewish woman wants to recover the family possessions taken by the Nazis, including Klimt's famous painting, the Portrait of Adele Bloch - Bauer I.
- Klimt: the film directed by Raoul Ruiz and starring John Malkovich (Mile 22) shows Austrian Gustav Klimt’s biography in an unconventional way. It narrates the different moments of his life, his love affairs, and his encounters with other important people of the period. One of the interesting details of the film is that the director seeks to show the process of creation of the famous works and tries to create a dreamlike atmosphere.
- Shutter Island: even though this film is not a biopic of the artist, one of Klimt's most important works is depicted during the story. One of the scenes, where Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street) hugs his wife (Michelle Williams), is based on the painting The Kiss. The gestures, their positions, and the expression of affection are just some of the qualities that the director rescues from the painting.
Stay tuned!
