For my final project, I decided to write a journal in the perspective of Gustav Klimt. Originally, I wanted to research on Egon Schiele, but his artistic mind and world were a bit too dark and complex for me. So I shifted to Gustav Klimt. Before I changed, I went to the Neue Galerie to see Schiele’s works and when I went there I also saw Gustav Klimt’s works. I felt like compared to Schiele, Klimt’s works were more bright and colourful. So I decided to base my journal on Klimt, but also incorporate Schiele into this journal. Therefore, I chose the year 1907 when Klimt first met Schiele.
As I was researching what happened to Schiele in 1907, I found out that his masterpiece “The Kiss” was also beginning to be created in this year. The muse for the woman in “The Kiss” was rumoured to be Emilie Flöge, his long friend and rumoured lover. Along with Egon Schiele, I also wanted to write about his relationship with Emilie. I imagined them to be lovers, but more in a platonic way, having a mental connection rather than sexually. I also wrote about Klimt being influenced by Japanese art and also incorporated that aspect in the design of the book.
From the beginning I knew how my book wanted to look like and having a plan, everything worked out as I aspected. After knowing that Klimt loved Japanese art, I wanted his journal to be influenced by it. So I mixed western and Japanese style by using leather for the cover and using Japanese stab binding technique to bind it. I also used Sumi-e Japanese paper. I wanted to transfer all of my writings and drawings so that I would have an old vintage feeling, but the paper was too thin so I had to double it by using the French fold technique. The overall content for my journal was based on my seminar writings. From them, I decided what pictures I would be putting on the journal. I used a mixture of Gustav’s real painting and 3 drawings I drew imagining that Klimt was actually drawing Emilie with full of love.
I actually found this project extremely interesting and fun. Along with my final project for Time, this project made me realise my passion for bookbinding and Citrasolv transfer. And I think during my break, I will be making more books using this technique.
01 Juli 1907
Today my dearest Emilie came to visit me. It is like yesterday when I first met her. I still remember the year of 1891. My dearest brother Ernst introduced me to her when he married Emilie’s sister Helene. What an exquisite beauty she was and still is. She is the inspiration for all of my arts and it is a delight to capture her beauty and present it in my art. She is not like the other women I have met. Others are only for lust, but… Emilie and I… We have a connection… I don’t know if anyone would understand what I mean, but we have a strong attraction that is inseparable. What is this if not love?
Her beauty excites me and her voice nurtures my soul.
As Shakespeare had written,
“When Love speaks, the voice of all the gods
Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony.”
I drew the drawing on the left and the sketch of “The Kiss” on the right was drawn by Gustav Klimt.
02 Juli 1907
“Sometimes I miss out the morning’s painting session and instead study my Japanese books in the open.”
I missed another morning painting session… There is nothing in the world that is more intriguing than Japanese art. Oh no… Yes… Women. However, in the Japanese prints, there are women and captivating colours. The subtlety within women and the colourful patterns expressed in the Ukiyo-e prints are just astounding and so interesting. How the lifelike expressions of the women excite me…
If one asks what I want for a present, I will say give me an Ukiyo-e print or a Japanese book as they are the primary source for my inspiration …. alongside women…
The Ukiyo-e print on the left is a gift from Emilie Flöge.
03 Juli 1907
Once again I skipped my morning session of painting. How Emilie would scold me whenever she hears of this… But let’s keep this a secret. I know I promised myself and Emilie that I will paint every morning, but sometimes there moments when I feel like I just want to dive into the utopia of Japanese art.
The beauty inside Japanese art enlightens me as there is always something to learn. Though I am extremely proud of my works, I still believe I have a lot to learn.
As a young child, I thought the classical and academic art was the whole world. However, as I cracked out from the egg and began to explore the world, wandering through life and death, I came to arrive at my final destination. And that has inspired me in expressing the wondrous world I picture.
I drew the drawing of Emilie Flöge on the left.
The portrait on the right is a gift from Egon Schiele to Gustav Klimt. Below the painting it says in German, “Please Remeber Me.”
06 Juli 1907
The most remarkable thing happened today. How I longed for this freshness. Lately, I been feeling like my life was meaninglessly walking around the clock, but now I feel like I am walking backward… Like going back in time! I am recovering my youth through this young man.
Today, this young artist came to visit me, saying that he is my greatest admirer. He was a young Austrian boy called Egon Schiele. He brought a lot of works to show me and he gifted me one of his self-portraits.
It is always a delight to meet such young artists, but for this boy… I… I felt like there were something different inside him, something very unique that I cannot comprehend with petty words. His works are similar to something one might call a traditional style art. However, there is something in his work that gives a feeling of looking into his deep and somewhat rebellious eyes, as if he is present within his art.
This young boy asked me if he had any talent and I simply replied,
“Yes, much too much!”
Yes, there is immense talent within himself and I wonder what kind of artist he will grow up to be once he finds his true-self which lies beneath his soul. Whilst I am excited to see this young artist bloom, there is some part of me that feels envious…
Is it his talent I and jealous of or is it his youth?
Yes… I guess it is his youth that I am jealous of. I am an exceptional artist and even after my death, I will be remembered as one. However, in one’s youth, there is this kind of unknowingness of one’s future that is so intriguing. But those days are the days that will never return for me… My youth has ended and what awaits me is my death.
I also drew the drawing of Emilie Flöge on the left.
07 Juli 1907
There are some things in the world that could never be understood even though one tries so hard to explain. Because I have muses and women by my side, people also consider Emilie to be one of them. But no, how could they even think like that. To me, Emilie is a ray of sunshine that light my heart and soul. Watching her life is my joy. Whenever I feel blue, I think about her smile and my worries would soon fade away…
In life, there are all kinds of love and I thrive within them. However, there is only one kind of love for Emilie… Unlike what people anticipate it to be, my love for Emilie is pure and sacred, it is absolutely platonic. It is not her body I love, but her soul. So, she is like no other and there can be only one Emilie.
meine Geliebte Emilie
More on this project