1546) Gustav Klimt - Portrait of Emilie Floge, Cameroon: A 500 Francs (CFA) Silver Coin minted by the Mint of Poland on behalf of the Republic of Cameroon: Year of Coin issue: 2020:
Gustav Klimt was the son of a gold engraver in Vienna in 1862. He grew up during the boom years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire when the city was undergoing the intense period of economic growth that made it one of the worlds hotbeds of creativity.
After attending the Vienna School of arts and crafts, Klimt found himself among those commissioned to create decorations for the monumental buildings that are still found in the Austrian capital today.
He was a symbolic painter and is noted for his murals, sketches and other "objects d'art" (meaning "Works of Art"). His primary subject was the female body and his works are marked by a frank eroticism.
Early in his artistic career, he was a successful painter of architectural decorations in a conventional manner. Tiring of the conventions of interior design at the time, influenced by Symbolism, he moved out towards a new artistic direction. He found fame as the co-founder and first President of the "Wiener Sezession" (or the "Vienna Secession") and that of the group's periodical "Ver Sacrum" (or "Sacred Spring"), which showcased the artistic works of its members, and which was an artistic movement that rejected the prevailing conservatism in the Viennese art World at the end of the 19th Century.
The group encouraged all styles of Art - traditional or innovative and had Pallas Athene, the Greek Goddess of just causes, wisdom, and the Arts, as its symbol - of whom Klimt painted his radical version in 1898.
Among the artists of the "Vienna Secession", he was the most influenced by Japanese Art and its methods.
In addition to his figurative works, which include allegories and portraits, he painted landscapes. As he matured in his craft, he developed a more personal style. His later works were subject to much controversy, particularly when he completed the paintings around 1900 AD for the ceiling of the Great Hall of the University of Vienna, which were labelled as "pornographic". He never accepted any more public commissions after this work.
The "Golden Phase of Klimt's artistic career:
This was followed by the "golden phase" of his career, which led him to scale the pinnacle of his career.
Like many great artists, Klimt's work was characterised by distinct creative periods, one of the most successful being his "Golden Phase".
This period was marked by positive critical reaction and tremendous success.
Many of his paintings from this period used gold leaf; the prominent use of gold can be traced back to "Pallas Athene" (1898) and "Judith I" (1901), although the works most popularly associated with this period are "Adele Bloch-Bauer" (1907) and "The Kiss" (1907-08).
Klimt travelled little, but to Venice and Ravenna, both famous for their mosaics, which in all probability inspired his gold technique and his Byzantine imagery.
In 1904, he collaborated with other artists on the lavish "Palais Stoclet", which was one of the grandest monuments of the "Art Nouveau Age" (meaning "New Age Art"). Klimt's contributions to the dining room included both "Fulfilment" and Expectation" which were some of his finest decorative works.
His simple life was somewhat cloistered, devoted to Art and little else except for the Viennese Secessionist Movement made him interact socially and left to himself, he avoided café society and other artists socially.
His repute usually brought patrons to him but he was highly selective. His painting method was very deliberate and painstaking at times and he required lengthy sittings from his subjects.
A woman whose relationship to the Artist is still a matter of speculation, a tree blossoming in a mystical manner, a kiss that continues to move the world more than a century after it was painted are just three of the works from Klimt's golden phase that open up manifold associations of love, happiness and hope to the viewer.
Always at the centre of controversy, after more than 30 prolific years and equal measure of success and criticism, Klimt passed away following a stroke at the age of 55 in 1918.
His reputation and popularity have survived over a century and he remains one of the most popular artists of his time.
Posthumous publications:
In 1919, after Klimt passed away, "Funfundzwanzig Handzeichnungen" (or "Twenty-Five Drawings") was published in Vienna by Golhofer & Ranschburg.
The first edition featured 500 copies with 25 monochrome and two-colour collotype reproductions almost as good as the original works of Klimt. The first ten editions also contained an original Klimt drawing.
Many of the works contained in this volume depicted erotic scenes of nude women with some masturbating and others in Sappic embraces. Some of his drawings which were even more lurid depictions of women were taken in a book translation by Viennese poet Franz Blei of the Hellenic satirist Lucian's "Dialogues of the courtesans".
It was as if Klimt was thumbing his nose to the prudes of the world of the world even after he passed away and thrilling patrons with his unabashed depictions of the female form.
The Commemorative Coin on Emilie Louise Floge:
The following passages are taken from an Art Book in my personal library titled -"Gustav Klimt" compiled by Janina Nentwig:
"While women are the central motif in Klimt's work, whether appearing as femme fatale, allegory or in social portraits.
There has been much speculation as to the nature of private relationships between the unmarried painter and his models, with fourteen illegitimate children having been attributed to him. Klimt was also said to have had more than friendly relations with some of his patrons from Vienna's upper class.
Despite the rumours, however, there exists not a single love letter that would prove the alleged affairs.
Amongst the women in Klimt's life Emilie Floge - the fashion designer played the most important role and intellectual partner - she took an interest in his artistic development and for her fashion boutique, Klimt designed garments in the so-called rational dress style, which were long and loose and lacking the then customary corset. His apparent love of costume is expressed in the many photographs of Emilie Louise Floge, modelling the clothing that he designed."
Between 1907 and 1909, he painted five canvasses of society women wrapped in fur.
This Silver Coin is the new release in the "Golden Five" Coin Series, dedicated to Gustav Klimt's one of famous paintings - Emilie Floge. The image taken on the coin is that of her face taken from a full length 1902 Oil portrait on canvas.
This coin has a beautiful Amber insert, has a wonderful colouration, an incredible design and comes in an exposition case together with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
On the Reverse of the 500 Francs (CFA) Silver Coin is seen the painting "Portrait of Emilie Floge" by Gustav Klimt.
The inscriptions on this face are - "GUSTAV KLIMT" on the right periphery) and an amber insert to the centre left.
On the Obverse of the 500 Francs (CFA) Silver Coin is seen the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Cameroon.
The inscriptions are - "REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN"(on the upper periphery). "2020" (in the upper centre), "500 FRANCS CFA" (on the lower/bottom periphery.
Below the Coat of Arms is the metal composition - "Ag 999" and the mint mark "MW" of the Mint of Poland.
The specifications of this Silver coin are:
Coin Theme: Gustav Klimt - Portrait of Emilie Floge; Country of issue: Republic of Cameroon; Denomination: 500 Francs; Year of issue: 2020; Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Diameter/Size: 50.0 mm; Weight: 17.50 mm; Shape: Round; Edge: Plain; Coin Quality: Proof; Minted By: Mint of Poland; Mintmark: MW; Mintage: 555 pieces; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes; Special techniques: Colour, Inlay; Coin Series: Golden Five.
The Presentation/Exposition Case in which the encapsulated coin is housed.
Links to posts on some Coins issued by the Republic of Cameroon:
Links to posts on Gustav Klimt:
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