Two Girls with Oleander

Two Girls with Oleander

The classic oil on canvas piece, dating back to 1890 manifests an array of exquisite detail as artist Gustav Klimt reaches the highlight of his realism style. The renaissance style depicted through the artwork differs immensely from the artist's 20th century theme, yet showcases a new form of beauty.

The Two Girls With Oleander is one of the artist's earliest paintings, which is shocking to man due to the masterful attention to detail showcasing and array of detail. The painting is highly oriental, in a horizontal flat style, differencing from the artists other work. The artwork holds a different approach than Klimt's other work that showcases allegories, murals, and portraits. The painting showcases the natural presence of the artist as one of his founding art works. The style behind the paintings holds an Italian renaissance style, through the masterful detail in architecture, costume choices, and profiles.

The classic portrayals of the girls features is based on a realist approach, yet is hindered by the modern art nouveau style that prevails on the background of the painting, creating a contrast between the work. The primary focus of the painting is the in-depth detail illustrated across the girl's faces. The two stand amongst one another, glaring into the beautiful oleander placed in front of them. The older girl in the small hat holds her hands out towards the beautiful flower, analyzing its form. The younger girl follows her lead as she looks onto the magnificent flower, lost in its beauty and texture. Gustav Klimt's classic artwork illustrates the girls facial details immensely, through their pale skin, petite nose, and loosely painted jaw.

The oleander is covered in an array of beautiful soft colours, based on a pink pallet that is accentuated through darker colours of fuchsia and light pink. These colours seize the flowers as the artist had painted them in their exact form. The oleander bush grows outside of a pot as the flower is depicted on the inside. The plant is rooted in one large stem that branches into different sections eventually spurring out flowers and leaves.

What is interesting to note regarding the piece is the background that transforms into a metallic colour. While the artwork is one of Gustav Klimt's first paintings, the viewer is able to see already his revolutionary style that will seize people for centuries to come. Gold bronze shades fill the background of walls. Upon looking closely at the work, the setting seems to depict the outside of a house. The gold tones fill the exterior wall, while it is carved in black detail along the sides. This pattern strongly resembles to oriental patchwork that will seize Gustav Klimt's work as the artist enters his remarkably know gold phase, where he will produce his most famous work including The Kiss, Mother and Child, and Beethoven Frieze.

While Gustav Klimt has seized an array of styles through different forms, the artist had founded his technique on realism. Upon deciding to enrol in art school, the style that was primarily focused on was realism. Klimt had then transitioned his style into Art Nouveau upon the Vienna Secession movement, then transitioning to impressionism throughout his portraits. The artist had finally entered his gold phase, while interoperating landscape drawings. While the artist had entered an array of transitions throughout his work that brought him to his critical gold period, realism was the foundation of the artist's style.

Many great artists work towards achieving realism, as it is the most complex form to achieve through its difficult real life detail, however Klimt's immense capabilities transitioned outside to the style towards more abstract pieces that the artist felt illustrated more life.