House of Guardaboschi

House of Guardaboschi

The House of Guardaboschi conceived in 1912 is an oil on canvas painting based on an art nouveau style that illustrates the landscape. Art Nouveau refers to the period in art, architecture, applied and decorative arts where natural forms and structures inspired pieces throughout the 19th century.

Curved lines for plants and flowers, alongside natural forms of vegetation were compassioned within an array of artist's works, including Gustav Klimt. Art nouveau embraced an array of fine styles including architecture, graphic design, jewellery, textiles, and glass art to generate a new form. Art Nouveau was already finished by the 1910's as Art Deco and modernism was seized the style of Europe.

The classic landscape structured painting of the House of Guardaboschi, illustrates Klimt's style of painting paying tribute to the scenery around him. The artist has entered a phase at the time where he steered away from his classic realist pieces and mosaic styled gold phase, to an art nouveau that incorporated an impressionist technique. This style has seized the heart of Klimt, as it was fairly simple for the artist to display in any location.

The painting illustrates the side of a large house covered in light shades of yellow and cream. This house had 5 large English styled windows that open up the skin of the house, intriguing the viewer. The house is covered in a thick layer of green vines that grow along the side of the house, in shades of cabbage green and deep velvet coloured greenery.

Within the window of the painting, a few vases of flowers are displayed, adding human life to the piece. A section of light green grass is painted, using an impressionist technique. Tiny pink, yellow, and white flowers grow from the grass naturally in an array. To the left of the painting, a large bush of flowers grows off of the wall. A deep dark green bush is covered in small purple flowers against the house. At the bottom of the bush, a buddle of skinny yellow flowers grows on their own, located next to a few purple coloured blossoms.

Gustav Klimt adored painting the natural green scenery that he was engulfed in. He had spend a number of summers out in the country side near Lake Attersee, where he was seized by the natural vegetation, finally being departed from his city life. A small cobblestone trail is located going in towards the house, it gently expands to the side of the house. On top of the cobblestone sits a green garden bench starring out into the scenery. The bench is paired with on either sides of the two potted plants.

The artist used a brief impressionism technique to illustrate the texture f the grass and the leaves. Based on the angle of the painting, depth is adding as the viewer looks from a higher angle. The viewer is brought into question of whether Klimt was situation upon a building or roof to paint the scenery, or if he had imagined the location.