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Gustav Klimt's art spoke the deep psychological truth of his time, and as is often the case was violently criticized for it. His subtly erotic work was frequently displayed behind a screen so as not to corrupt the sensibilities of the young.
Klimt's work reflected the contradiction of his time. He combined a deliciously sensual mixture of opposites; ecstasy and terror, life and death, austerity and pleasure.
The sensual figures in The Kiss, although portrayed in a flat, two-dimensional way are surrounded in gold as if to be immortalized; as if to make the sensual divine.
The exposed yet invulnerable look of the woman, Judith, is yet another example of the appealing
coexistence of opposite qualities.
Klimt's style drew upon an enormous range of sources: classical Greek, Byzantine, Egyptian, and Minoan art; late-medieval painting and photography. In synthesizing these diverse sources, Klimt's art achieved both individuality and extreme elegance.
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