Klimt

Gustav Klimt is established as a leading artist in Vienna, with a growing reputation that attracts a steady stream of commissions and attention. His studio is constantly filled with nude models posing for his drawings and oil paintings. This period cements his fascination with the female form and his bold, inventive style.

Klimt forms casual, intimate relationships with several models and uses their likenesses in his art. Some of these liaisons bear him children, though he does not always know all their identities. This bohemian lifestyle fuels a prolific and controversial period in his creative life.

During a night at a local brothel with a male acquaintance, Klimt is introduced to a prostitute as being his daughter, a claim tied to rumors about his past. He responds with ambiguity, saying he does not know the truth. The scene highlights how his private life becomes part of the public legend surrounding him.

A recurring government official arranges commissions from the Ministry of Culture for Klimt. He receives a three-panel commission for three large canvases, elevating his work into the realm of state art. Klimt completes the canvases and they are prepared for a formal government reception.

The three large canvases are presented at a government reception, and the reception is mixed in its assessment of Klimt's quality. Nevertheless, he is acknowledged as an artist of stature by officials across society. The moment solidifies both public interest and institutional respect for his work.

Throughout the vignettes, the younger painter Egon Schiele visits Klimt at various points, underscoring the continuity of the Viennese modernist milieu. These visits occur while Klimt is reflecting on his life during the mercury treatment. The interactions highlight the mentorship and dialogue among Vienna's artists.

Klimt's long-standing relationship with Emilie Floege, a trusted Austrian confidante, features prominently in his recollections. He envisions marriage with Emilie, but only as an open marriage, reflecting his belief in freedom within love. This relationship informs both his personal life and his art.

Klimt also pursues a romance with Lea de Castro, a Parisian actress who features in his works. The Parisian connection expands his horizon and the range of female beauty he seeks to depict. Like Emilie, Lea becomes a muse who shapes his art.

In a vision of his past, Klimt confronts his mother and sister, both held in asylum, about rumors of illegitimate children. He maintains a stance of ignorance about the number and identities of his progeny. The scene contrasts family anxieties with his singular devotion to art.

As his syphilis is treated with mercury, Klimt's memories become a sequence of recollections rather than a linear biography. The hospital setting frames his aging, while the art-filled visions persist. He clings to the beauty of his art even as his body suffers.

With the treatment continuing, Klimt's reflections emphasize his career and the beauty he created rather than moral judgments about his personal life. The memories sustain him as his life nears its end. The film foregrounds art as the core of his identity.

Klimt expires during mercury treatment, and his final recollections revolve around the beauty of his art. The narrative closes on an affirmation that art endures beyond personal scandal. The life is framed as a meditation on artistic vocation rather than life details.