"Hope I" - Gustav Klimt (1903)
Ever since my last trip to Ottawa I have been haunted by the memory of a painting I saw while I was at the National Gallery by Gustav Klimt. Jason and I were walking through the gallery's 20th century art collection and as we wandering I suddenly found myself alone facing this massive piece by Klimt that was narrow but tall enough to tower over me. I read the write up they had beside it and it said the piece was about hope for the birth of his future child despite the death of his last one and threat of death looming, personified in the painting. Perhaps because I was standing too close to the painting I couldn't really make out "Death". I thought maybe they were refering to the skull. It wasn't until I was at least one room away from the painting when I looked back at the painting again and noticed a face emerging from the black wave that I mistook for the background. I realized that Death was actually a woman dressed in funeral clothes with a heavy drape over her face. When I realised this is really creeped me out, especially knowing that I stood so close to it without realising it. I've been thinking a lot about the painting since I saw it and I just want to learn more about Gustav Klimt now.
I was reminded of the painting again a couple of days ago when I saw the video for Rufus Wainwright's new song Going to a town for the first time and it uses that same kind of imagery of women mourning at a funeral. There is one particular clip from the video that closes in to one of their faces and it looks almost disturbing, reminding me very much of the Klimt painting. I had to wonder if the director used Klimt's work as motivation for the video, probably in addition to a lot of other melodramatic, turn-of-the-century imagery. Anyway, I just wanted to share that. I think this work is stunning, and I also really enjoy this song (as Jason will attest by my many playings of the tune).
I was reminded of the painting again a couple of days ago when I saw the video for Rufus Wainwright's new song Going to a town for the first time and it uses that same kind of imagery of women mourning at a funeral. There is one particular clip from the video that closes in to one of their faces and it looks almost disturbing, reminding me very much of the Klimt painting. I had to wonder if the director used Klimt's work as motivation for the video, probably in addition to a lot of other melodramatic, turn-of-the-century imagery. Anyway, I just wanted to share that. I think this work is stunning, and I also really enjoy this song (as Jason will attest by my many playings of the tune).
