Montblanc Masters of Art Gustav Klimt
Throughout history, great artists have expressed the human experience in a universal language of form and beauty. The Montblanc Masters of Art Collection pays tribute to their undying contribution to the pursuit of perfection in art, a quest that Montblanc has always promoted and celebrated. One artist whose vision certainly helped shape Viennese Art Nouveau and the Golden Age is Gustav Klimt. The Montblanc Masters of Art Homage to Gustav Klimt Limited Edition 4810 celebrates his artistic beginnings in the Viennese Secession and highlights elements from his masterpieces "Pallas Athena" and "The Kiss" in its design. With his rebellion against stereotypical concepts of art and society, Gustav Klimt was a pioneer of the avant-garde. Klimt was able to blend realistic representation, ornament and abstraction in a style that reached its peak in large, delicately sensual female portraits. One of the earliest paintings in which he valued the subject matter of the portrait and the ornaments in equal measure is a 1902 portrait of his companion and muse Emilie Flöge, depicted in a dreamlike, almost mystical shade of blue. This artwork inspired the blue hue of the Montblanc Masters of Art Homage to Gustav Klimt Limited Edition 4810. The circles, spirals, triangles and lines that sparkle through the dark blue translucent lacquer of the writing instrument come from his famous painting "The Kiss", in which two lovers seem to dissolve into ornamental and geometric shapes through the power of emotion. Crafted from translucent blue lacquer and hammered metal with a yellow gold finish, the cap and barrel of the writing instrument perfectly match complementary colours in reference to Gustav Klimt's famous works of the "Golden Age", including the "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I", the Palazzo Stoclet Frieze and "The Kiss". Klimt used a new technique that consisted of enriching his colours with gold leaf sections, thus creating the impression of precious stones set in gold. In the 4810 Limited Edition, the hammered yellow gold-coated cone is embellished with a green synthetic spinel, a colour that evokes spring, the season of new beginnings. The monogram of Klimt's "Secession", a golden stamp of his initials - GK - refers to the artist's achievements in the context of the Secession. The clip of the Homage to Gustav Klimt 4810 Limited Edition was specially made on the inspiration of Gustav Klimt's "Pallas Athena". Athena is the goddess of war and art, and is portrayed in the act of launching the struggle for artistic freedom. The gently curved lines ending in three spirals on the yellow gold-coated clip match the decorations on the forged metal frame. The handcrafted Au 750 solid yellow gold nib is finely engraved with an owl, a symbol of knowledge, wisdom and intuition, and is considered the faithful animal of the Greek goddess Athena. The engraving is a reference to Gustav Klimt's painting of "Pallas Athena", but also to the Viennese Secession building, whose side facades are decorated with owl sculptures