Where is the woman in gold Klimt? Gustav Klimt "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I"

A rich Jew finds out that his wife is cheating with an artist. He orders a portrait of his wife from his rival for a huge amount. 4 years for sketches. Result: great picture. Although the love, of course, passed.

What moral could there be in a story that involves Adolf Hitler, $135 million, George W. Bush, the genius Gustav Klimt, femme fatale Adele Bloch Bauer, US Government and the People of Austria.

There is no morality, but there is pursuit and sacrifice, betrayal and revenge, love and hatred. You probably already guessed that we're talking about about the painting by Gustav Klimt “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” or “Golden Adele”, this painting is also called the “Austrian Mona Lisa”.

And it all started like this:

1904 Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer walked along the paved sidewalk, whistling a cheerful tune, waving his cane, sometimes stopping and politely bowing to the gentlemen he met.

He has already decided everything for himself. At first, of course, he wanted to kill her, but in Jewish families it is not customary to kill wives for adultery. He also could not get a divorce; divorce is not customary in Jewish families. Especially in families like his and his wife Adele's - the elite families of the Austrian Jewish diaspora. In such families, marriages are concluded forever. Money must go to money, capital to capital. This marriage was approved by the parents on both sides. Adele's father, Moritz Bauer, a major banker, Chairman of the Austrian Bankers Association, had been looking for worthy grooms for his daughters for a long time, and chose the brothers Ferdinand and Gustav Bloch, who were engaged in sugar production and had several enterprises, the shares of which were continuously growing.

All of Vienna feasted at the wedding, and after the merger of capital both families became Bloch-Bauers. And now the largest sugar refiner in Europe, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer walked along the pavement and felt branched horns growing on his head, under a luxurious satin cylinder. Only the lazy didn't discuss it whirlwind romance his wife Adele and the artist Gustav Klimt. He did not sleep for many nights in a row, he lay and stared into the darkness until he came up with his revenge. Adelke...That’s what he called her, not Adel, but Adelka.

Adele Bloch Bauer.

He may not have been as educated and well-read as Adele, but he also knew something, and could have known, for example, that the ancient Indians, in order to separate lovers, chained them to each other and kept them together until they began to hate each other friend as much as you recently loved.

This idea came to him in a dream. He will order him (Klimt) a portrait of Adele! And let Klimt make 100 sketches until he begins to vomit from her. He won’t be able to do this for long, he needs to change models, mistresses, concubines, and the women around him, otherwise he will suffocate. It is not for nothing that he is credited with having fourteen illegitimate children. Let him paint this portrait for several years! And let Adelka see how Klimt’s feelings fade away. Let him understand who she exchanged him for, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer! And they won't be able to separate. A contract is a serious matter. And the contract contains a fine that exceeds the contract amount by tens of times. Ferdinand can easily ruin Klimt.

Emilia Flöge and Gustav Klimt

He dreamed that his sugar empire fell apart into small pieces of sugar and little men stole everything into their little holes, and he was left with only a portrait of his wife Adele. Ferdinand decided to order a portrait of Adele from Klimt and call the painting “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer,” thus perpetuating his family name.

Favored by the authorities, Klimt was a very fashionable and sought-after artist, and his paintings were good investment capital, and Ferdinand understood this very well. In a few recent years Klimt and his brother traveled all over the country, designing the mineral water pavilion in Carlsbad, the capital's Burgtheater, and the villa of Empress Sissi. At twenty-six, Klimt received the Golden Order of Merit, and at twenty-eight, the Imperial Prize.

Therefore, Ferdinand very carefully prepared the contract with Klimt, his best lawyers dealt with this issue, and now it was important that Klimt sign the papers.

When Ferdinand came home, Adele was reclining on the couch in the living room and smoking, as usual, a cigarillo in her mouthpiece. She loved apple tobacco. Her thin, flexible figure resembled a panther at rest, she was so graceful. Subtle features faces and dark hair were good. Adele is used to happy “doing nothing.” She grew up very rich family surrounded by an army of servants. In those days, for some reason, girls were not allowed to study at university, but Adele’s parents gave her good home education. Adele was a very romantic lady, she read classics in four languages and amazingly she combined painful, airy fragility with the proud arrogance of a millionaire. During her marriage, Adele entertained herself by maintaining a fashionable salon, where poets, artists and all the people of color gathered secular society Vienna. There he and Gustav met.

Adele Bloch Bauer.

Walking into the living room, Ferdinand invited Adele to change clothes, since he had invited Klimt to dinner. At the mention of Klimt, Adele flushed, and this did not escape her husband’s eyes. Gustav Klimt arrived without delay, taking with him a picture frame just in case. Very interesting, but he always started with the frame. His brother made a beautiful frame, and Klimt inscribed his masterpiece there. The dinner passed quietly, except for the fact that Gustav and Adele stubbornly refused to look at each other. Ferdinand, on the contrary, was cheerful and joked constantly.

After dinner, all three gathered in the living room. And something like this dialogue took place between them.

Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer

Ferdinand(officially):

Mr. Klimt! You probably already guessed that I invited you to place an order and therefore took the stretcher with you? I would like to order for you unusual portrait my wife Adele.

Klimt: - Why should it be unusual?
Ferdinand:- Because it should last at least several centuries!
Klimt(interested): - Interesting, interesting... several centuries. Don't know. I am interested in depicting the most important points in a person’s life: Conception, Pregnancy, Birth, Youth, Noon of Life, Old Age..

Ferdinand: - But the Bible was written by people Sistine Madonna It was painted by a man and these works live on for centuries! So you make a portrait of my wife, like the Madonna of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and let this portrait live for centuries!
Klimt:- You are setting me a very difficult task!

Ferdinand:- We're in no hurry. I will pay you a good advance so that you don’t think about money.
Klimt: - Similar picture may require additional costs.
Ferdinand:- For example?
Klimt:- For example, I would like to trim the dress with gold plates...
Ferdinand:- If you are going to trim my wife's dress with gold and draw attention to the bottom of the picture, then I will buy a necklace in the hope of drawing attention to the top of the picture.
Adele(ironically): - Now you have already divided all of me. All I can do is “fold my arms across my chest” to draw attention to the middle part of the picture.

Collectible coin with a fragment of "Adele" with a face value of 50 euros. Market value 505 euros.

Ferdinand:- I would like the portrait of my wife not to contain naked places, like your portrait of Judith.

Klimt:- Of course. I will make a sketch, and only after your approval will I begin the main work.

Seeing the amount of the contract, Gustav Klimt signed it without even reading it. He, of course, suspected that he genius artist, but the price that Ferdinand offered him simply stunned him.

Klimt wrote about a hundred sketches for this portrait. And he finished work on it in four years.

Ferdinand was pleased. The painting was finished (and many paintings remained unfinished) and fully corresponded to his plan. He and Adele hung it in the living room of their Vienna house.

It is obvious that the relationship between Klimt and Adele gradually faded away. Some time after starting work on the painting, Adele fell ill and Klimt had to take long breaks from work.

Adele was sick, and at the same time she smoked a lot, most often spending the whole day without getting out of bed. God never gave him and Ferdinand children. She tried to give birth three times and each time the children died. All my unspent mother's love Adele transferred this to her sister’s children, especially highlighting her niece Maria Bloch-Bauer. Maria often came to sit with her sick aunt, they discussed the latest fashion trends and styles of dresses for Maria's first ball. And also paintings by the artist Klimt, of which there are already more than ten pieces in the house of Adele and Ferdinand.

Ferdinand spent his time devoting himself to work in his sugar empire. He never told Adele that he knew about her relationship with Gustav.

Time passed, the First One was approaching World War. The “golden period” in Klimt’s life ended, giving way to depressing paintings depicting death and the end of the world. Klimt had a very difficult time with the events taking place in the world. The war had a detrimental effect on him. And at the age of 52, in 1918, Klimt suddenly died of a stroke in his workshop, in the arms of his eternal companion Emilia Flege.

Adele survived him by seven years, and died in 1925, dying quietly after meningitis. Before her death, Adele asked Ferdinand to bequeath three paintings, including the “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” to the Belvedere Museum in Vienna.

Ferdinand lived alone, his life becoming harder and harder as Austria became part of Germany in 1938 and the Nazis began hunting Austrian Jews. In the same year, Ferdinand managed to escape to Switzerland, leaving all his property in the care of his brother’s family.

The painting remained in the living room as World War II approached.

Gustav Bloch-Bauee, brother Ferdinand was the husband of Adele's sister. There were five children in their family, the same Maria who visited Adele during her illness was the youngest. Oddly enough, they lived very modestly, dressed simply and allowed their children only the cheapest Italian ice cream. Outside the family sugar business, Maria's father was a good musician and a friend of Rothschild, who brought a Stradivarius cello to their house, and then almost everyone who was interested in high art Vein.

When Maria was a teenager, she had a tender friendship with Alois Kunst, from a gymnasium that was not far from the one where she studied. She often invited him to her aunt Adele's house and they looked at the painting together. Maria even invited Alois to her first ball. This meant that Alois was introduced and approved by Mary’s parents, who considered him a cultured and educated young man. And Aunt Adele allowed Maria to wear her diamond necklace, in which she posed for Klimt. And Maria remembered this ball for the rest of her life. And Alois and they knew that the painting had its own secret. If you look at Adele under certain angle, and make a wish, then you can tell by the corners of your lips whether Adele is smiling or frowning. If he smiles, then the wish will come true.

Gustav Klimt "Dancer" 1916-1918.

But Maria married someone else. Frederick Altman was opera singer, the son of a major industrialist. Money to money, capital to capital. Apparently his parents were wealthier. They married in 1938, on the eve of the German invasion of Austria. But, despite the arranged marriage, Maria loved her husband very much and lived with him all her life. The famous diamond necklace, in which Adele Bloch-Bauer posed for Gustav Klimt, was given to her by her uncle Ferdinand as a wedding gift.

When the Nazis began hunting Austrian Jews, her uncle, Ferdinand, fled to Switzerland, and her husband, Frederick, was captured and sent to the Gestapo. A little later, he found himself in the concentration camp at Dachau, where thousands of Jews turned into black smoke after handing over all their property to the German authorities. The Gestapo broke into Maria's house in Vienna and took away all the jewelry, a Stradivarius cello, and simply put Adele's diamond necklace in a bag (there were eyewitnesses that Heinrich Himmler's wife later appeared in public wearing this necklace several times). Maria did not regret anything and immediately signed all the necessary papers, in which she renounced all movable and immovable property; she was ready to do everything just to save her husband from death.

Dachau concentration camp

Maria expected that any day they would take her away and " Golden Adele"She was almost not surprised when her school friend Alois Kunst came for the painting, accompanied by a detachment of Gestapo men. Kunst collaborated with the Nazis, collecting for them a collection of paintings, some of which ended up in the caches and basements of the Third Reich. When she asked how he could become a traitor, he said that this way he could do much more for Austria.

Adolf Hitler, it turns out, had a positive attitude towards the work of Gustav Klimt. It is not advertised anywhere, but it turns out that he and Klimt met when Hitler was trying to enter the Academy of Painting in Vienna. And Klimt was already an honorary professor at this academy. At that time, Hitler made his living by drawing small pictures with views of Vienna and selling them to tourists in restaurants and taverns. So he came to Klimt to show his work, and maybe take a few painting lessons. And Klimt, out of the kindness of his heart, announced to Hitler that he was a genius and did not need to take lessons. Hitler left Klimt very pleased, and told his friends that Klimt himself recognized him. Hitler never entered the Academy of Painting; instead, Oskar Kokoschka, a Jew by nationality, was accepted there. Maybe that’s why Hitler once said that his hatred of Jews was purely personal.

Paintings of Adolf Hitler.

But this hatred did not affect Klimt’s paintings; they were ordered to be protected, despite the author’s Jewish origin.

When “Golden Adele” left her home, the Fuhrer did not accept it into his collection. Adele was an outspoken Jew, and, as you yourself understand, such a picture could not hang either in the Reichstag or in other places in Nazi Germany. That is why it is worth paying attention to the appearance of Adele Bloch-Bauer. The model's appearance saved the painting from destruction. The picture disappeared. Nobody knows where Adele's portrait was during the war years.

Carefully preserved... by Alois Kunst, in perfect condition, she surfaced after the end of the war and settled in central museum Belvedere in Vienna. And Alois Kunst became the director of this museum and continued to carefully preserve the relic - the "Austrian Mona Lisa", his beloved Adele.

Belvedere Museum, Vienna.

Ferdinand Bloch Bauer died in November 1945, completely alone. And none of his relatives could see him off on his last journey.

Maria and her husband were lucky because the investigator in the Gestapo was an acquaintance of Altman, with whom Frederick was engaged in mountaineering and once saved him by pulling him out of the abyss. They ran along fake documents. The Gestapo pursued them. Maria recalled how on a plane that was flying from Vienna to London and had already taxied to runway, suddenly the engines turned off and armed Gestapo men with machine guns entered. The Altmans sat clutching their chairs, they thought that it was behind them. But no, they brought out someone else. Maria Altman carefully kept the torn stockings in which she and her husband climbed over the barbed wire. She considered them a symbol of her freedom. The Altman couple moved first to England and then to the USA. After some time, Maria received American citizenship.

Everything was calm until the persistent journalist Hubertus Czernin dug up the will of Ferdinand Bloch Bauer, left before his death in Switzerland, which canceled all his previous wills. In this will, Ferdinand bequeathed all his property to his nephews - the children of Gustav Bloch Bauer's brother. Capital, in his opinion, had to work for the family. At that time, only Maria remained alive, and she was already over 80 years old. But Hubertus understood that it was his finest hour. Despite his count origins, he was poor, but loved to live large. He understood that the American millionaire would pay a good sum for such information. And so it happened. Maria considered herself eternally indebted to him.

Restitution lawyer Randol Schoenberg, at left, with -heiress Marie Altmann (r.); between them, Adele Bloch Bauer, as Klimt might have sketched her for his famous painting, Die Dame in Gold | Illustration: Katharina Klein

All of Austria was alarmed like a hornet's nest! The headlines of Austrian newspapers screamed: “Austria is losing its relic!!!”, “We will not give America our National treasure!!!". The police received threats that the painting would be destroyed, but would not go to America. In the end, the museum's management decided to remove "Golden Adele", out of harm's way, into the storerooms.

Surprisingly, George Bush Jr., using some of his levers, did not give progress to the matter about the paintings. He absolutely did not want to spoil relations with the Austrians. Maria Altman fought for her property for seven long years. The courts were busy making excuses and coming up with reasons not to consider this case. But Maria’s lawyers conducted an investigation and found out that Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer had Czech citizenship and managed to get the court hearing transferred to the United States, since on paper the US citizen asked to legitimize the will of a Czech citizen. What does Austria have to do with it, they asked?

And Austria turned out to have nothing to do with it. And by decision of the US Supreme Court, Austria was obliged to return five paintings by Gustav Klimt, including “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” to the legal heir, Maria Altman.

Four paintings that were returned to Maria Altman along with "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"

Clockwise: " Birch Grove.1903", "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer-2, 1912", "Houses in Unterach near Attersee, 1916", "Apple Tree I, 1912"

Maria was happy and did not insist that the paintings leave Austria. She asked to be paid their market value. The price for all five paintings was set at 155 million dollars. This amount was unaffordable for the Austrian Ministry of Culture.

All of Austria came to the defense of the Golden Adele. Austria has taken measures unprecedented in the history of the state to save its national heritage. Negotiations were held with banks about a loan to purchase paintings. In addition, the country's government appealed to the population for help, intending to issue “Klimt bonds.” The public announced a fundraising subscription. Donations began to arrive, and not only from the Austrians. The Austrian government has almost collected the required amount.

The excitement around the paintings inflated their market value and Maria decided to raise the price to $300 million. Maria Altmann had a rare chance to go down in Austrian history by showing nobility and leaving Klimt's paintings in his homeland. Of course, not for free, and the initial estimate of $155 million was considered fair compensation in Austria.

Thousands of Viennese residents came to celebrate the “Golden Adele”, people came from all over Austria. Crowds of people lined the streets along which relics were removed in armored vehicles. Some people were crying. It's no joke, the Portrait of Adele has been a symbol of Austria for almost 100 years.

After some time, Maria Altman sold “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” to Ronald Lauder, owner of the Estee Lauder perfume concern, for 135 million dollars. Ronald Lauder built new house for the Golden Adele, which was called the "Museum of Austrian and German Art" And now the painting is there in complete safety.

Journalist Hubertus Czernin was never able to use the money he received from Maria Altman, because he died four months after the removal of Klimt’s paintings. Official version police "heart attack".

Maria Altman died in 2011 at the age of 94.

Maria Altman himself! On the background real picture"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"

Just imagine this elderly woman saw the real live Adele Bloch-Bauer, her husband Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. True, she was only two years old when Klimt died. But looking at her, you feel full reality the events that took place - the incredible story of the great painting.

Golden Adele is very popular in the world.

Poems are written to her:

From what distant lands unknown to me
Have you come into my life, golden Adele?
The curve of your neck, your lips rosanelle -
Everything is so wonderful about you, golden Adele...

The sweet intoxication of your saddened eyes
Hurts the soul with a forgotten dream, ma Belle,
And the break of gentle hands, and pastel blush -
It's all just you, only you - golden Adele...

You are sitting as a queen on the throne...Really?
Yours short life like a swing carousel,
Will it flash, wisely meeting the fatal goal?
Wait a minute! Be with me, golden Adele...

It is being replicated as best they can.

All participants in the events have passed on to another world, but Golden Adele is alive and will live for centuries, as Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer wanted.

P.S. If you want, there is a good selection of paintings and sketches by Klimt, 417 works. Only there is "Kiss" with with open eyes. We can't explain this.

... Continuation

Gustav Klimt

Adele Bloch-Bauer I"

... CONTINUATION...

"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I", fragment (Gustav Klimt, 1907).
The painting is also known as “Golden Adele” or “Austrian Mona Lisa”

==============================
CONTINUATION. Part 1 see.

Maria expected that “Golden Adele” would be taken away any day now. She was almost not surprised when her school friend Alois Kunst came for the painting, accompanied by a detachment of Gestapo men. Kunst collaborated with the Nazis, collecting for them a collection of paintings, some of which ended up in the caches and basements of the Third Reich. When she asked how he could become a traitor, he said that this way he could do much more for Austria.

Paintings of Adolf Hitler.

But this hatred did not affect Klimt’s paintings; they were ordered to be protected, despite the author’s Jewish origin.

Carefully preserved... by Alois Kunst, in perfect condition, it surfaced after the end of the war and settled in the central Belvedere Museum in Vienna. And Alois Kunst became the director of this museum and continued to carefully preserve the relic - the "Austrian Mona Lisa", his beloved Adele.

Belvedere Museum, Vienna.

Ferdinand Bloch Bauer died in November 1945, completely alone. And none of his relatives could see him off on his last journey.

Maria and her husband were lucky because the investigator in the Gestapo was an acquaintance of Altman, with whom Frederick was engaged in mountaineering and once saved him by pulling him out of the abyss. They fled on fake documents. The Gestapo pursued them. Maria recalled how, sitting on a plane that was flying from Vienna to London and was already taxiing onto the runway, the engines suddenly turned off and armed Gestapo men with machine guns entered. The Altmans sat clutching their chairs, they thought that it was behind them. But no, they brought out someone else. Maria Altman carefully kept the torn stockings in which she and her husband climbed over the barbed wire. She considered them a symbol of her freedom. The Altman couple moved first to England and then to the USA. After some time, Maria received American citizenship.

Everything was calm until the persistent journalist Hubertus Czernin dug up the will of Ferdinand Bloch Bauer, left before his death in Switzerland, which canceled all his previous wills. In this will, Ferdinand bequeathed all his property to his nephews - the children of Gustav Bloch Bauer's brother. Capital, in his opinion, had to work for the family. At that time, only Maria remained alive, and she was already over 80 years old. But Hubertus understood that this was his finest hour. Despite his count origins, he was poor, but loved to live large. He understood that the American millionaire would pay a good sum for such information. And so it happened. Maria considered herself eternally indebted to him.

All of Austria was alarmed like a hornet's nest! The headlines of the Austrian newspapers screamed: “Austria is losing its relic!!!”, “We will not give America our national treasure!!!”. The police received threats that the painting would be destroyed, but it would not go to America. In the end, the museum’s management decided to put “Golden Adele” away, out of harm’s way, into storage.

Four paintings that were returned to Maria Altman along with "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"

Clockwise: "Birch Grove. 1903", "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer-2, 1912", "Houses in Unterach near Attersee, 1916", "Apple Tree I, 1912"

After some time, Maria Altman sold “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” to Ronald Lauder, owner of the Estee Lauder perfume concern, for 135 million dollars. Ronald Lauder built a new home for the Golden Adele, which was called the "Museum of Austrian and German Art" And now the painting is completely safe there.

Journalist Hubertus Czernin was never able to use the money he received from Maria Altman, because he died four months after the removal of Klimt’s paintings. The official police version is "heart attack."

Maria Altman died in 2004 at the age of 91.

Maria Altman herself! Against the background of the real painting "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"

Just imagine, this elderly woman saw the real live Adele Bloch-Bauer, her husband Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. True, she was only two years old when Klimt died. But looking at it, you feel the complete reality of the events that took place - the incredible history of the great painting.

Golden Adele is very popular in the world.

Poems are written to her:

From what distant lands unknown to me
Have you come into my life, golden Adele?
The curve of your neck, your lips rosanelle -
Everything is so wonderful about you, golden Adele...

The sweet intoxication of your saddened eyes
Hurts the soul with a forgotten dream, ma Belle,
And the break of gentle hands, and pastel blush -
It's all just you, only you - golden Adele...

You are sitting as a queen on the throne...Really?
Your short life is like a swing-carousel,
Will it flash, wisely meeting the fatal goal?
Wait a minute! Be with me, golden Adele...

It is being replicated as best they can.

All participants in the events have passed on to another world, but Golden Adele is alive and will live for centuries, as Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer wanted.

Description

The face and hands, realistically painted in cold colors, are the visual dominant in the perception of the picture, standing out against the background of other elements executed ornamentally. The composition of the canvas is divided into two vertical parts: on the right is Adele Bloch-Bauer, the left part is almost empty and contains only a hint of the interior. The lower third of the canvas fills the hem of her dress. Gustav Klimt abandoned the depiction of perspective depth in the painting, preferring flatness. The ornamental gold background displaces the sketchily designated space into the background. The walls, chair and dress of the model turn out to be just two-dimensional figures located side by side.

A graceful female figure, revealed upon closer examination, sits in a chair. There is no free space above and below it; it occupies the entire vertical of the picture. The head image appears to be cut off at the top. Black, up-swept hair and a disproportionately large red mouth contrast with the extremely pale, almost blue-white carnation. The woman holds her hands clasped in a dynamic bend in front of her chest and looks directly at the viewer, thereby increasing the visual impact.

A shawl is thrown over the figure-hugging dress. It flows, expanding from the hands to the lower edge of the picture. Gold tones predominate here too. The neckline of the dress is decorated with a thin border of rectangles and a wide stripe with a double row of triangles. Then a pattern of randomly arranged stylized eyes inscribed in triangles was used (see the symbolism of the “All-Seeing Eye”). The cape, with its pattern of spirals, leaf shapes, and barely defined folds, seems a little lighter than the dress. The chair, also gold, stands out against the general background only thanks to the pattern of spirals - there are completely no shadows, halftones or contours on it. A small light green fragment of the floor adds a color accent to the overall scheme and helps give stability to the figure.

Model - Adele Bloch-Bauer

The artists supported by the Bloch-Bauer family also included Gustav Klimt, who had been friends with Adele Bloch-Bauer since 1899. Already in the city Klimt wrote "Judith I", a half-act depicting the biblical Judith. The model was Adele Bloch-Bauer herself, although this fact was not advertised anywhere. In 1909 it was created "Judith II"- and this canvas very likely depicts Adele.

Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer acquired, in addition to the first “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” and the second, “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II”, as well as four more landscapes: "Birch Grove", "Cammer Castle on Lake Attersee III" "Apple Tree I", "Houses in Unterach am Attersee". “Portrait of Amalia Zuckerkandl” was also purchased.

History of the creation of the canvas

It is noteworthy that the main idea of the picture already existed at this time. early stage. Only the exact position of the model remained controversial, primarily the position of the arms and head.

Technique and style

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer belongs to golden period in the works of Klimt. In 1903, during a trip to Italy, the artist was inspired by the richly gold-decorated church mosaics in Ravenna and Venice, ancient language which he transferred to modern forms visual arts. He experimented with various techniques painting in order to give the surface of your works new look. In addition to oil painting, he used relief techniques and gilding.

Only the face, shoulders and arms are depicted naturalistically. The interior, together with the flowing dress and furniture, are only indicated, turning into an ornament, it becomes abstract and does not provide any spatial orientation, which corresponds to the color scheme and forms used by Klimt in 1898-1900.

After Austria gave up the right of first refusal to purchase paintings, five paintings by Klimt - “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I”, “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II”, “Birch Grove”, “Apple Tree I” and “Houses in Unterach near Attersee” , estimated at $300 million, were brought to Los Angeles on February 14, 2006, where Maria Altman lived since June 19, newspapers reported that Ronald Lauder had purchased “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” for $135 million . The portrait has since been in the Neue Galerie founded by Lauder in New York.

Five Klimt paintings received through restitution to Maria Altman

Notes

Description

The face and hands, realistically painted in cold colors, are the visual dominant in the perception of the picture, standing out against the background of other elements executed ornamentally. The composition of the canvas is divided into two vertical parts: on the right is Adele Bloch-Bauer, the left part is almost empty and contains only a hint of the interior. The lower third of the canvas is filled with the hem of her dress. Gustav Klimt abandoned the depiction of perspective depth in the painting, preferring flatness. The ornamental gold background displaces the sketchily designated space into the background. The walls, chair and dress of the model turn out to be just two-dimensional figures located side by side.

Model - Adele Bloch-Bauer

History of the creation of the canvas

It is noteworthy that the main idea of the picture already existed at this early stage. Only the exact position of the model remained controversial, primarily the position of the arms and head.

Technique and style

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer belongs to golden period in the works of Klimt. In 1903, during a trip to Italy, the artist was inspired by the richly gold-decorated church mosaics in Ravenna and Venice, whose ancient language he transferred into modern forms of fine art. He experimented with various painting techniques in order to give the surface of his works a new look. In addition to oil painting, he used relief techniques and gilding.

a maiden refined to the point of morbidity with a transparent face and broken arms. Klimt saw in her a new Venus, but she came out old Europe, dying of satiety. It's not in vain thin body wraps itself in a trail of former hobbies, decorated with symbols of half-forgotten faiths and kingdoms - Crete, Egypt, Byzantium, Habsburgs...

Klimt admired Byzantine, Minoan, Mycenaean and Egyptian art, as well as medieval religious painting Italy. In addition, the shapes of the canvas reflect the influence of what was fashionable in Europe at that time. Japanese art Ukiyo-e prints and Edo period paintings. Last but not least, one can feel character traits French impressionism, which was known in Austria largely thanks to the Vienna Secession - a group of artists to which Klimt himself belonged until 1905.

Other famous works Klimt: "Water Serpents I", "Frieze Stoclet"- an order from a certain Belgian industrialist from Brussels, "Three ages of a woman", "Kiss", which together with “Golden Adele” constitute the pinnacle of Klimt’s golden period. Women were the main motif in Klimt's works during these years.

History of the canvas

The finished “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” was immediately exhibited in the artist’s studio in Vienna in 1907 and appeared in the magazine “ German art and decoration”, and then at the international art exhibition in Mannheim. In 1910, the portrait was in the Klimt Hall as part of the IX International Exposition in Venice. Until 1918, the portrait was not exhibited and was in the possession of Ferdinand and Adele Bloch-Bauer. From 1918 to 1921 it was in the Austrian State Gallery.

Adele Bloch-Bauer died on January 24, 1925, leaving a will in which she asked her husband to donate two portraits of her and four landscapes by Gustav Klimt to the Austrian State Gallery after his death. When the will was read out, her husband agreed to carry out the will of the deceased. He donated one of the landscapes - “Cammer Castle on Lake Attersee III” to the Austrian Belvedere Gallery in 1936. "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" in 1937 participated in an exhibition of Austrian art in