Avenue of Schloss Kammer Park

Gustav Klimt's welcoming painting of the Avenue of Scholss Kammer Park (1912), explores a modernist technique departing from the realist style the artist regularly painted

Klimt had spent the summer at a cabin in Salzkammergut, Austria, exploring the calm greenery engulfed within the nature of the environment, and the quiet life of the village.

Klimt was granted the opportunity to explore his own techniques, apart from his colleagues and develop a different style than what he normally painted. The opportunity allowed for Klimt to reinvasion the scenery around him in a new light, transforming objects into new forms through a mosaic style of art.

The artist incorporates a cool colour scheme, with blue and green leaves growing off of the trunk of the tree meshed into each other within the canopy. The green tones sculpt the structure of the trees, using teal colours of blue to accentuate its form. The similar colour scheme is used to depict the grass on the surface of the painting, with a linear soft brush stroke accentuating each one.

The cobblestone on the painting continues the mosaic pattern in shades of green and blue, as if it were a reflection of the canopy above. The background of the painting is a beautiful yellow building illustrating the classic Victorian architecture at the time. The building is paired with an orange-red roof and English styled windows.

As the painting is created near the end of Klimt's career, the artist steers away from his traditional art nouveau style, towards a modernist approach that was growing in popularity at the time. The style holds elements of realism, while incorporating mosaic forms throughout the trees.

As Klimt favoured paintings of humans and still life, exploring into painting landscapes enabled Klimt to develop new techniques and find his own style as the waves of modernism spread into art. Klimt had altered his still from portraits and paintings holding allegory and symbolism, to landscape paintings accepting the beauty around him.

The Avenue of Schloss Kammer Park holds a calm emotion as if the viewer is placed directly within the painting, strolling the park on a warm summer day. The structured line of trees manifests civilization within the piece, accompanied by the chic building in the background.

The viewer is able to witness a glimpse of Klimt's trademark of strategically placed swirls, as the canopy of the trees gently meshes together, hiding the sky. The artist has painted those exact trees for their aesthetic appeal as they interweave together, creating elements of structure and patterns. The painting is a significant cornerstone in Klimt's work, intertwining his different styles and techniques as he explores a new style.