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Das Werk Gustav Klimts November 10 - December 15 A selection of Collotype prints produced between 1908 - 1914 by the Gallerie Miethke, Vienna OPENING RECEPTION Saturday November 18th from 1pm to 4pm < previous |
Das Werk Gustav Klimts was published in five gold – embossed print folios, each containing ten prints. According to a subscription sheet from the Gallerie Miethke, Klimt’s exclusive Viennese art gallery, the first installment was printed on around June 1908. Two factors make this portfolio of great importance. Firstly, Klimt personally supervised the project and imposed the highest standards of quality. Secondly, these prints employed the Collotype process, which posed technical challenges that only increased with multicolor printing. Of the fifty prints in this portfolio, thirty-one are collotypes printed on chine colle, laid down on a wove paper support. Nineteen prints are half-toned, exemplifying the high technical capabilities of that process. The Monochromes collotypes and the half-tones are printed in a variety of colored inks, ranging from deep brown to blue. The prints depict Klimt’s most important paintings dating from 1898 - 1913. Their subject matters may be divided into five categories: Allegorical, Mythical, Biblical, Portraits, Erotic-Symbolist and Landscapes. All sheets and most of the images are in a square format, a geometric shape that was very important within the formal aspects of Klimt’s work. In addition, some of the images in this portfolio are printed in a narrow rectangle shape; a format derived from Japanese paintings and woodblock pillar prints. A distinct feature of Das Werk Gustav Klimts is the use of a unique signet for each print. Designed by Klimt, these signets are intaglio-printed in gold ink near the bottom of the sheet. Each signet is impressed into the paper, indicating that the images and the signets were printed separately. Furthermore, the square shape of the signets mirrors that of the sheets and most of the images, reflecting Klimt’s acute concern for overall design. Only a selected number of prints from Das Werk Gustav Klimts portfolio are on view in this exhibition. |
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