klimt project

This project is inspired by the work of Gustav Klimt, a painter from Vienna at the turn of the century.
What was amazing about his work is the richness of it, the patterns, the colour and how expressive his portraits are. His work was considered outrageous at the time- it was the time of Freud, post belle- epoque and the mood of the time was getting darker. Klimt's work was considered erotic and passionate; he depicted people in a non-realistic fashion. It was the start of Moderism.

You will be using his work as inspiration and creating a portrait surrounded by pattern. The pattern will be decorative and symbolic of the person you are painting. You can do a portrait of someone you know or a self-portrait. You can do a portrait of a stranger a long as you have a reference picture to work from- in this case the portrait will become mythic- see me if you're not sure.

Pattern studies are due tuesday as is your reference picture. Make sure you bring an old shirt to paint if you're concerned about your clothes- we will be priming our painting surfaces!