I was fortunate to be one of the million visitors who saw the digital light and sound exhibition of Gustav Klimt’s artwork in Paris. The exhibition was held between 7 September 2018 and 6 January 2019 at the Atelier des Lumières, located in Paris’ 11th arrondissement, which displays classic pieces in immersive music and video exhibitions. It was thrilling to experience Klimt’s paintings in such a visually immersive way.
Symbolist artist
Gustav Klimt was born in 1862 in Baumgarten, near Vienna. While he grew up in poverty, he displayed artistic talent even from a young age, and took a keen interest in Japanese art. He was a symbolist artist, inspired by Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts movements of the nineteenth century.
He introduced gold leaf, mystical motifs and ornamental accents into his works, the result being gilded, sparkling paintings.
The beauty in his work
One reason I’ve always been a fan of his work is just how unique, shimmering and beautiful his art is. While Klimt may be best known for The Kiss (1908), his work continues to enthral art lovers. Indeed, Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907), which sold for $135 million in 2006, Neue Galerie, New York, was the most expensive ever sale at the time.
Unlike many gifted artists, Klimt achieved critical and commercial success during his lifetime. Despite his popularity, Klimt was modest and revealed little about his artistic techniques.
Dazzling display
The location was perfect as it had 3,300 square metres and 10m high walls and so plenty of space for the 3,000 moving paintings of landscapes, portraits and buildings of the era. Both the walls and floors became the art thanks to 140 laser video projectors’ lights.
What made it so spectacular was his paintings being projected from ceiling to floor and the feeling that you were actually inside one of his works. That sense of magic was also there with his ‘golden period’, where his most famous paintings were shown in great detail before stylishly merging into the next one. The powerful connection to the senses was added to with classical music by Chopin, Beethoven, Wagner, Puccini and Strauss, among others.
