Gustav Klimt’s Junge Frau
Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt was no stranger to depicting the sensual. Nowhere is this inherent feature of Klimt more obvious than in his painting The Virgin. The Gustav Klimt painting depicts a number of girls lying together on a bed of flowers. At the center of this lies the Virgin herself (well, actually the original name is Die Jungfrau which just means young woman but never mind that). Her uninterested face is actually modeled on that of , Emilie Flöge, Klimts partner. Notice how her face is set at a rather steep angle, like her neck could have suffered damage.
The Virgin is herself covered in an intricately decorated fabric, in the familiar style of Klimt. As is also apparent in other Klimt paintings, he is using round shapes to symbolize the female. Meanwhile the flowerbed on which the women are lying is surrounded by an empty, though not menacingly so. This further serves to concentrate the viewer’s eyes on the women, as if any prodding was needed. The Virgins is a painting that would make a great art reproductions to be hung in the home.
The virgin is painted in the symbolism and style of klimt, though at the same time offering a harmonious and balanced coloring palate that makes it a pleasure to observe. Another masterpiece from the Austrian master himself.
