Kurze Inhaltsangabe
Ein Leben lang war sie an der Seite des Malers Gustav Klimt, sie war seine Geliebte und seine Muse, und sie stand Modell für das berühmte Gemälde Der Kuss: Emilie Flöge, eine faszinierende Gestalt der Wiener Boheme des Fin de Siècle. In klarer, packender Prosa entwirft „Der gemalte Kuss“ das Porträt einer außergewöhnlichen Beziehung und liefert beeindruckend lebendige Einblicke in das Schaffen Klimts.

I have discovered a new passion in my quest for reading great historical fiction. It started with Clara and Mr. Tiffany which is about the art of stained glass creations, and then to the non-fiction book The Lost Painting about Caravaggio, to this fictional story about the Viennese 19 Century artist Gustav Klimt and his lifelong inspiration and one of his favourite models, Emilie Floge. The story is told in the first person by Emilie which is why this book is so real and riveting.. Ms. Hickey does a marvellous job of creating a world and its people that is so alive and so realistic that it just seemed that I was right there with Gustav, Emilie and her sisters, as well as other famous artists and people from late 19 century Vienna. What a marvellous city Vienna was then!. It was full of great artists, composers, writers, opera singers and designers, but what made it all so bittersweet was that history as shown us what happened to Vienna during the two world wars it suffered through. That sparkling, magical world was lost forever. Being able to experience Vienna in its heyday was thrilling and spell-binding for me. We see the growth and development of a great artist, and the effect that his talent has on everyone around him, and how it depicts society and the people of his generation. Artists and composers were the rockstars of this time, and some handled their fame and fortune with aplomb, while others ended up being victims of it. I am so enthralled with getting this glimpse into this world of great art and artists that I have already created a reading list of books that I absolutely must read. I want to read books about Van Gogh, Monet, Singer, Bruegel and many others. I loved everything about this book, but the best part was the character of Emilie. I wish I could have known her. ( )

In this passionate and atmospheric debut novel, Elizabeth Hickey reimagines the tumultous relationahip between the Viennese painter Gustav Klimt and Emilie Floge, the woman who posed for Klimt's masterpiece The Kiss - and whose name he uttered with is dying breath. Vienna in 1886 was a city of elegant cafés, grand opera houses, and a thriving and adventurous artistic community. It is here where the twelve-year-old Emilie meets the controversial libertine and painter. Hired by her bourgeois father for basic drawing lessons, Klimt introduces Emilie to a subculture of dissolute artists, wanton models, and decadent patrons that both terrifies and inspires her. The Painted Kiss follows Emilie as she blossoms from a naïve young girl to one of Europe's most exclusive couturiers—and Klimt's most beloved model and mistress. A provocative love story that brings to life Vienna's cultural milieu, The Painted Kiss is as compelling as a work by Klimt himself.

(Fiction, Historical, Art)

From Amazon: “Gustav Klimt, one of the great painters of fin de siècle Austria—and the subject of Helen Mirren’s latest film, Woman in Gold—takes center stage in this passionate and atmospheric debut novel, which reimagines the tumultuous relationship between the Viennese painter and Emilie Flöge, the woman who posed for his masterpiece The Kiss, and whose name he uttered with his dying breath.”

This should have been a knock-out but I found it rather bland.

3½ stars ( )

The Painted Kiss - Hickey
published 2005
4 stars

When Emilie Floege was 12 years old her father commissioned Gustav Klimt to paint portraits of his three daughters. He became Emilie’s art teacher. As teenagers, Emilie and her sister Helene modeled for Gustav and his brother Ernst. Helene grows up to marry Ernst and produces one child before his early death. Emilie establishes a famous Viennese fashion house and becomes one of Gustav Klimt’s many lovers. This story is told from the perspective of an aging Emilie Floege. She and her niece have fled the Nazi depredation in Vienna for the refuge of her family’s crumbling summer home. She spends her time reflecting on the successful years of her business and her relationship with Gustav Klimt.

I like historical fiction about famous artists. This is a very readable book, although given the author’s notes and a number of very contrived conversations between characters, I doubt the historical accuracy of many scenes. The publisher’s blurb makes the book sound like a passionate love story and it most definitely is not. As Emilie’s older sister tells her “Gustav’s in love with himself. He likes to be admired”. There may be many historical inaccuracies in this book, but I tend to believe its depiction of Klimt as a narcissistic genius. I liked reading about him and the amazing circle of talented people who surrounded him. This is a short book, a superficial look at a complex artistic and social scene. I’d like to read comprehensive biography or a more detailed fictional account of these people.
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