Thursday, January 13, 2011

Stimmung

Klimt
Beech Forest

klimt
Pine Forest I and II

klimt
A Morning by the Pond

klimt
The Swamp

Picked up this book while in NYC at MoMa on Gustav Klimt's landscape paintings. Since we're currently teaching a landscape painting course, re-finding Klimt's work is a new and refreshing insight into how a landscape painting can be approached! His landscape paintings are incredible! Not only are the images stunning in this book, many of which I've never seen before, the writing is also engaging and informative including essay's from Klimt's painting techniques to Austrian Landscape paintings of the time. My new favorite word is Stimmung "an elusive word connoting atmosphere, mood, or state of mind, (that) was the order of the day." Many of Klimt's works seek to capture this mood. Use of lighting and atmosphere create something like a stage set and can lead to a dramatic interpretation of what is simply trees and forest floor.
I'm also intrigued by his sense of space or spatial arrangement. His use of horizon line to either trap or free the viewer, using the classic 2/3 1/3 rule, or high low horizon line. The quiet dark pine forest with very little light peeking in. The multihued blanket of colors in the forest floor, reflected light in the water- unglaublich! View more of Klimt's landscapes here

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