1st Grade: Klimt Quilts

Gustav Klimt was an amazing artist! He was born and lived in Vienna, Austria with his family. His father was a gold carver and engraver. He had two brothers and four sisters. His family did not have a lot of money growing up, so he was able to get a scholarship to attend the Vienna School of Decorative arts. He did this at the age of 14 for seven years. When he finished school he opened his own studio with a friend and one of his brothers, and they began to paint murals. They started to get paid for their work and soon Klimt began to become recognized as an artist. He started to paint portraits of women with elaborate gowns and blankets as well as landscapes. His father’s work also influenced his art because he began to use the color gold in many of his paintings. He used a lot of organic shapes, lines and patterns. Gustav Klimt is one of the few artists we’ve studied that actually sold his artwork to make a living!