Bridging the Gap: From Concept to Final Work Series 3

Despite a few hiccups, I have to say that Vienna left yet another deeply artistic mark in me (soooo... I'm adding it to a list with London, Venice, Prague, Florence and Brussels), probably because of the pervasively enshrined Art Nouveau movement of the early 1900's. Gustav Klimt is the most prominent artist I could see there. I've seen "The Kiss" before, but seeing it printed on little notepads and t-shirts made me appreciate the beauty of the original work. I probably couldn't wait to exercise its influence on me for the first poster I made for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at PGH.

The Three Ages of Woman by Gustav Klimt.
My brother has a copy of Taschen's inexpensive books on Klimt's works. I really tried to study what makes Klimt's technique unique-- including his love for the detail of textiles. Close-up, I have to admit they looked like a cacophony, but from afar the effect seemed orchestrated. Women were dominant figures in his paintings, so it seemed like a good match for the subject.

Unfortunately, I threw out my old sketches and early paintings for this project, I think (it may be somewhere on my hard drives, but I can't find it). But since the subject was bridging tradition and modern practice, the intricately woven Ilocos blankets of my childhood seemed like the perfect textile for this application. I scanned two of them and they became the basis for her gown.

Here is the finished painting, before it was crowded by too many details (like the organizations, venues, blah blah blah):