#riamunk

[jonlurie]

"Portrait of Ria Munk III" 1917 unfinished oil on canvas by Gustaf Klimt (1862-1918) at @legionofhonor the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco. Written near the painting: When Klimt died, in February 1918, he left numerous paintings unfinished. This subject is often believed to be Ria (Maria) Munk, whose aunt, Szerena Lederer, was one of Klimt's most important patrons. Munk committed suicide in 1911, at the age of 24, seemingly because of her unhappy relationship with German writer Hanns Heinz Ewers, who had recently broken off their engagement. It is believed that her parents commissioned this posthumous portrait in her memory. Yet Klimt found it simply impossible to complete the work, which presented him with countless difficulties, and this may represent his third effort. #klimt #gustavklimt #gustavklimtweek #oilpainting #oiloncanvas #riamunk #unfinished (at Legion of Honor Museum)

[pascalbeucler]

A detail of Gustav Klimt's sensuous portrait of Ria Munk from 1917, the artist's third attempt to render the young Viennese socialite to the liking of her parents, who commissioned the picture in memory of their daughter. Munk, 24 years old at the time of her suicide, is surrounded by a dense floral background comprised of tulips, roses, peonies, chrysanthemums, carnations and cinerarias, which variously can symbolize happiness, wealth, and beauty. The painting was left unfinished in Klimt's studio when he died in 1918. "Portrait of Ria Munk III" is joined by several other large-scale portraits in the current exhibition "Klimt and the Women of Vienna's Golden Age, 1900-1918." #klimtswomen #gustavklimt #riamunk #portraiture (à Jardin Saint-Gilles-Grand Veneur)