Gustav Klimt (GUUS-tahf klimt), perhaps best known for his controversial style, came from humble origins and trained in the classical style. After years of serving as an architectural painter of murals throughout Vienna, he was criticized for his overtly erotic style. This criticism was a turning point in his career. He then revised his own sense of artistic value which ultimately led to his fall from the conservative academic art world to self-discovery with a creative and versatile style that is intact to this day. Born July 14, 1862 in Baumgarden, Austria, near Vienna. , Gustav Klimt was the second of seven children. His father, Ernst Klimt, was a poor gold engraver originally from Bohemia. His father's craftsmanship would later prove to be a major influence in the highly ornamental style that Klimt later adopted. In 1876, at the age of fourteen, Klimt began studying at the Vienna School of Decorative Arts where he learned a variety of techniques including mosaics and frescoes. and architectural painting. His early works represented typical 19th-century academic painting, including the murals for the Burgtheater in Vienna and the staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. In 1894, after painting the first of several murals commissioned at the University of Vienna, Klimt was criticized for his erotic symbolism and accused of using excessive perversion. Along with the deaths of his father and brother Ernst, the negative reaction proved to be a pivotal point in his career where he chose artistic freedom over public approval. Klimt soon began collaborating with other artists to rebel against the narrow-minded academic views of his critics and began a revolution in style and artistic expression. In 1897 Gustav Klimt founded the Vienna Seze......middle of paper.... .. while employing a familiar subject (the female form), it shows the transformation from busy mosaics with gold embellishments to a brighter color palette and to the use of stronger, bolder lines. The work exemplifies his versatility as an artist. On February 6, 1918, Gustav Klimt died of pneumonia, just a month after suffering a stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body. Klimt is quoted as saying: "Anyone who wants to know something about me – as an artist, the only thing noteworthy – should look carefully at my pictures and try to see in them what I am and what I want to do." If we follow his directions we will undoubtedly appreciate the passion and creativity he had for every kind of artistic expression. His talent proved limitless as he pushed society's norms and transformed and expanded his art in ways that exceeded everyone's expectations.