5^th May 2024 Beena

Hi guys. I received many comments regarding the mystery lady. I posted my acrylic painting of Madam Bauer; some thought that I posted the original painting of Gustav Klimt. I should be flattered😄😄. However, this was challenging classwork. I struggled with painting the eyes. I wanted to capture that downcast, mysterious look. The best part about acrylic is that you can always paint over and redo your work. Isn’t that exciting?💃🏽. By the way, I have added gold leaf in some parts of this painting but it is not visible in the photo.

Gustav is an Austrian painter who became famous for the golden series. Since 1900, he has painted women, and his most famous painting is “The Kiss.” We had to paint ” The Portrait of Madam Adele Bloch-Bauer” as the class assignment. I called her the “mystery” as she may have been the lady in “The Kiss”. Her husband, Ferdinand, commissioned the painting of her portrait. Adele Bauer was from a wealthy Jewish family. The lady in “The Kiss” is an idealized version of Adele. But the clue is from her right hand, where she has a disfigured finger.

Gustav was known to have many mistresses during his time, many of whom modelled for him. So, it is still a mystery if Adele had any relationship with him. I find her eyes sad. Was she unhappy or sleepy, as she may have had to sit for long hours for the painting? Now that remains a true mystery😉😉. If you have any thoughts, please comment and thank you for reading my thoughts🙏😊