Vienna: Belvedere Palace Guided Tour of Gustav Klimts' Art｜Austria

More than a million people flock to the Belvedere Palace every year to see Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. To some, the popularity of the golden canvas may seem like tourist hype or the result of skilful marketing by museum professionals. During this art tour, I will try to show the complexity and variety of factors that led to The Kiss being considered Klimt's most important work today.
We will look at a collection of medieval paintings and I will explain the elements of traditional artistic language that Klimt both preserved and reinterpreted.

You will learn how Klimt's work was influenced by the scientific and cultural context of the time and his interest in medical issues.

Using the works in the Belvedere exhibition as an example, I will show how major social phenomena influenced the artist's choice of subject and composition. And how old themes are reinterpreted.

I will discuss the factual and mythological versions of how the artist's revelations about the most intimate side of life can be seen in this work.

Even if Klimt is not 'your' artist, the example of The Kiss will help you to see the complex but quite definite processes that influence both the creation of any work of art and its perception. If you love Klimt's paintings, this tour will open up new perspectives on his creations and deepen your understanding of his work.