Klimt

Set in imperial Vienna and linked locales, the film unfolds during a transitional period at the turn of the century. The mercury treatment places the story in a pre-antibiotic era, highlighting medical practices of the time. The era’s vibrant art scene and shifting moral attitudes frame Klimt’s life and relationships.

The film centers on Vienna’s cultural landscape, with Klimt’s studio and public receptions shaping his career. A hospital setting during mercury treatment anchors the narrative in late-era Austria. The story also touches on Paris as a backdrop through Lea de Castro and the international reach of Klimt’s circle.

🎨 Art

Art is Klimt’s center and public identity; his depictions of the female form fuel his fame. The vignettes frame his memories as paintings in motion, blending recollection with imagination. Government receptions and commissions show art as both vocation and public spectacle. The film posits art as a private truth revealed through public beauty.

🧠 Memory

Mercury-treatment sequences reveal Klimt’s remembered life, looping through younger years and relationships. The disjointed vignettes blur memory and invention, creating a subjective portrait rather than a factual chronology. Each recollection centers on art, lovers, and progeny, shaping his self-image. Memory drives the narrative as a bridge between personal longing and artistic legacy.

💖 Love & Relationships

Klimt’s affairs with Emilie Floege and Lea de Castro reveal a nonconformist attitude toward love and marriage. The open marriage proposal shows his desire to reconcile personal freedom with social expectations. He depicts his partners in his art, blending affection with aesthetic idealization. The film frames relationships as both inspiration and complication in his life.

⚰️ Mortality

Mercury treatment for syphilis marks Klimt’s decline and eventual death, casting mortality as a force shaping his art. The narrative keeps focus on the beauty of his work even as life ends. Aging and illness refract how he approaches his subject matter and relationships.