Description:
Even during Klimt's lifetime, it was widely assumed that he and Emilie Floge were lovers, yet the truth of the matter, like many things concerning fin-de-siecle sexual mores, may be considerably more complex. Emilie Floge, twelve years Klimt's junior, was the sister of his brother, Ernst's wife. After his death, Gustav was appointed quardian of the couple's newborn daughter. in this capacity, he had free reign in the Floge household and became something of a surrogate uncle to young Emilie. The surviving correspondence between the two is voluminous, yet entirely platonic; their "trysts" involved such innocent activities as French lessons. Would the family have tolerated Klimt's presence in their summer home on the Attersee, as they did almost every year, had the two been clandestine lovers? And would Klimt so openly have paraded his mistess at the theater and opera, as he did Emilie? Klimt's real lovers, as is now known, were not such nice, middle-class ladies, but models and charwomen. If Emilie was the love of his life, she was a pure and sacred love, a Madonna to the whores who, figuratively and literally, occupied the dark alleys of fin-de-siecle sexuality. No wonder that this painting presented its subject as a bejeweled icon, agilded beauty whose decorative trappings constitute a metaphorial chastity belt. Directly anticipating the "gold" portraits of 1906-1907, the picture was exceedingly radical for its day, and perhaps for this reason neither Emilie nor her family liked it. Klimt promised to paint another for her, but never did. The Floges declined to hang the painting, and in 1908 it was acquired by the City of Vienna.
You are viewing a hand colored print. The process begins with hand-pulled black & white decorative and antique reproduction prints. Each print is then individually designed and hand colored using the same methods of color application that were used throughout the 19th century, before modern color lithography. Individual artists meticulously paint each piece using the finest European watercolor paints on heavy mat, acid free, archival paper resistant to deterioration and discoloration. By combining old world craftsmanship with fresh design innovations, our artists create works of stunning depth and vibrancy that are absolutely beautiful and unique.
Limited editions are a series of identical prints, which are limited to a one-time printing of a certain number of pieces. The artist determines the size of the edition, and usually signs and numbers each individual piece. Limited edition prints framed by the Fulcrum Gallery are handled separately and given the utmost individual care and attention, using archival framing materials and practices. Because limited editions are in limited supply, and are of exceptionally high quality, the price is generally at a premium to regular open edition prints.
