Lecture on Gustav Klimt

Lecture on Gustav Klimt

“Gustav Klimt was an artist of extraordinary power, a man of remarkable inner depth. The work of his hands was a sanctuary.” This is how Egon Schiele described Klimt after his death in 1918.

The son of an engraver and jeweler, Klimt transformed the craftsmanship he inherited from his father into a unique visual language of his own. Childhood memories of working with metal, journeys through Italy, and the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna all came together in what would become his celebrated “Golden Style.”

During the lecture, we’ll explore how a successful academic painter became one of Vienna’s most provocative and controversial artists.

We’ll look closely at Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence, the monumental works Klimt created for the University of Vienna, which were condemned by professors as scandalous and indecent.

And, of course, we’ll turn to his most iconic masterpieces — The Kiss and Judith. We’ll decode their intricate ornamentation and look beyond the famous gold to uncover the deeper philosophy behind Klimt’s art.

The lecture will be presented by Yulia Terletskayte — lecturer, cultural historian, and director.