The Golden phase

Although the use of gold had already appeared in some of his earlier works, it was after a trip to Ravenna in 1903 and notably influenced by his father’s work, that Klimt began his famous “Golden Phase,” for which he would become known and remembered around the world. During this trip, he was impacted by the use of mosaics which led to him replacing spatial depth with striking gold backgrounds.

Up until this point, the use of gold in his work carried sacred or magical connotations, as seen in Judith I. However, it is during this phase that gold takes on a more erotic meaning, clearly visible in works such as Danaë and The Kiss. The latter piece marked the culmination of his golden phase, and in Klimt’s own words, The Kiss was “possibly the last step in my decorative development.”