(Sun)flowers & Shiny Beauty a la Klimt by Karen Nijst

About "(Sun)flowers & Shiny Beauty a la Klimt"

by Karen Nijst

About the artwork

'(Sun)flowers & Shiny Beauty' is a fantasy drawing of mine inspired by the work of Gustav Klimt. Klimt was known as an "erotic artist," but in official portraits of women, he portrayed the ladies in colorful lush robes that concealed the contours of the bodies of those portrayed.
So I did not adhere to the latter.

Model: The face is a portrait of Tracy Maureen Perez, a Filipina model who was crowned Miss World Philippines 2021. She later finished as a semi-finalist in the Miss World 2021 pageant in Puerto Rico.

Sunflowers: I liked the inclusion of sunflowers in the clothing and in the headdress. The sunflower turns its flower towards the light and hence the sunflower symbolizes zest for life and admiration (you are beautiful). This symbolism is also drawn from the Greek myth in which Clytia falls in love with sun god Apollo.

Landscape: In the late 19th century, the impressive landscape of Attersee in Austria was the meeting place for intellectuals, industrialists and artists such as Gustav Klimt in the summer. Here he made many beautiful landscape paintings such as the 'Farmhouse Dune with Sunflowers' which I used as inspiration for the background.

Swarovski: The gold on Klimt's painted portraits sparkles at you, yet I don't think Klimt ever incorporated crystals from Swarovski into his creations. It could have been, because at the World's Fair in 1900, dresses were already presented that were embroidered with Swarovski crystals.
I myself don't own any Swarovski jewelry, but somehow I thought it fit this piece. Hence, the lady in the picture is lavishly decorated with sparkling crystal creations.