Peter Assmann narrates Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Josef Pembauer.

Hot on the heels of the two short videos devoted to Bernardo Strozzi’s Portrait of Claudio Monteverdi andAngelika Kauffmann’s Self-Portrait, Tiroler Landesmuseen director Peter Assmann discusses in another video another masterpiece preserved at the Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck: the Portrait of Josef Pembauer by Gustav Klimt (Baumgarten, 1862 - Vienna, 1918).

This is a work from the beginning of the Austrian painter’s career, known for starting the Secession: it was in fact completed in 1890 and portrays the famous pianist in great detail; it is almost aphotorealistic work. The frame is also a true work of art, full of symbols that “speak,” as Peter Assmann tells us: in fact, a musician with a lyre is depicted in the right margin of the frame.

It is thus a well-rounded portrait that tells of the subject’s personality and the cultural context of Viennese society in the late 19th century. With this painting Klimt nods to the beginnings of his career through his very detail-oriented way of painting; on the frame we can see the typical Secession gold and more graphic symbols-a very interesting and fascinating combination, as the director explains.

To learn more about Gustav Klimt’s art and its traces in Austria visit austria.info

Peter Assmann narrates Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Josef Pembauer.

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