Hope II 1908

Klimt made 'Hope II,' with oil paint on canvas, and right away you can see it's a cascade of color and pattern against a dark, almost cosmic, backdrop. I can imagine Klimt, working away, maybe starting with that central figure, the hopeful pregnant woman, and then letting the shapes and colors bloom around her. It is a dense accumulation of vibrant hues, and feels as if he is building up this sort of shimmering armor around the mother-to-be! His use of gold leaf, a signature of his "Golden Phase," catches the light and gives it a sense of otherworldly beauty. You see echoes of Art Nouveau, and the decorative arts here, but it's also pushing towards something more personal and symbolic. Klimt was always in dialogue with his contemporaries, borrowing and building on their ideas, but also forging his own unique path. His work reminds me that painting is a conversation across time, where artists inspire and challenge each other.