Sunflower, gustav Klimt, 1907

The Sunflower was written by Gustav Klimt in 1907. It is characterized by a tall sunflower with a beautiful green stem full of leaves. Bright flowers can be seen protruding from the grass below, which helps to enhance the depth of the sunflowers. The dazzling surface of the surrounding leaves conforms to the tendencies of Klimt's decorative paintings. This is unusual in Klimt's paintings of trees and flowers. Unlike early landscape paintings around 1898 to 1902, sunflowers were no longer associated with emotions; instead, Klimt was more objectively fascinated by the organic life of plants, which simply existed without human intervention. The geometric composition of his paintings is no longer used solely for decorative effects, but rather reinforces the artist's transcendent observation of the landscape while appreciating the richness and diversity of nature. The shape and leaves of the sunflower are very similar to the shape of the lover in The Kiss. The two works were first exhibited at the Vienna Art Fair in 1908. This beautiful painting was featured on our 2022 Daily Art weekly calendar – to be honest, it's full of beautiful masterpieces!