Customer Reviews

The Painted Kiss: A Novel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was fortunate enough to grab an advanced reader's copy of this novel off the reviewer desk of the magazine where I work. With historical fiction all the rage these days, it's possible to find writers who really know their craft, or conversely historians who really know the age they're describing, but seldom do we find both traits in the same author! Elizabeth Hickey both writes with a rare lyrical clarity and evokes turn of the century Vienna with such precision it makes one wonder if she had access to a time machine. I feel as though I've actually sat in the corner of Klimt's studio while he painted "The Kiss" and pinned hems in the Vienna fashion salon of his lover Emilie Floge.

I imagine that comparisons will be made between "The Painted Kiss" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring." While I'm positive that fans of Tracy Chevalier will love this book, it seems important to point out that Hickey's work is far from derivative. She is an exceptionally talented writer in her own right, and should be treated as such!

The author's debut novel is not a project for the weak of heart. Historic fiction requires research - and lots of it, especially with characters who are somewhat contemporaneous with some people still living today. When I received this book from the author, I wasn't sure what to expect. This really isn't my favorite genre of reading, but from the first page, I was hooked.

Hickey has a true gift for crafting scenes and emotion so richly, that after reading, I felt like I had seen a movie rather than having read a book.

The novel explores an imagined romance between clothing designer Emilie Flöge and famed painter Gustav Klimt. The author weaves in several characters who were well known in the same era and whether or not all the relationships cited took place, they were definitely plausible.

The story moves from the "present" in late World War II where Flöge and her niece Helene are taking refuge in the country side away from the bombs hitting their beloved Vienna, to the"past" in the late 1800s when Flöge is a first a drawing student of Klimt, and later his occasional lover and his continual confidant and lifelong friend.

Written in the first person by Flöge, this is not simply a "chick" book - it's an interesting who's who of the art world in Paris and Vienna before, during and after World War I and gives a fascinating insight into the dramas surrounding art commissions and the subculture and power plays of the artists of the time.

While reading this novel, I felt like a time traveller with the details included - I could visualize the food, the utensils, the facial expressions, the clothing, the cold winter air - everything. I quickly felt like I knew these characters as well as Flöge knew them and found myself laughing out loud in a few passages.

Were Klimt and Flöge really lovers? Only they know for sure and they took their secrets to the grave - but Hickey takes these loose threads and ties them together into a plausible and enjoyable page-turner of a novel. This book is ripe for a movie deal. It is so well written, adapting it for film would not be a Herculean effort. I look forward to reading Hickey's next book.

A Painted Kiss gives you insight on the life of the artist Gustav Klimt through his lover's eyes, Emilie Floge. She first meets the Gustav as a 12 year-old girl. Her parents asked him to give their youngest daughter drawing lessons. Emilie has many emotions running through her mind as a young woman. Her fascination for Gustav does not change and in fact grows into an impassioned love for him. The art world is developing and changing before their eyes. Chapters alternate between a narrative on the people and their poses in each of Klimt's well known paintings; 1890 when Emilie was a young woman in love, as a model and mistress for Gustav Klimt; Emilie as an older woman in 1944 during World War II. Against the backdrop of history, you see how Emilie influenced the art and genius of Gustav Klimt. Outstanding and enjoyable read.

I'm not generally one who would read fictional novels about the art world. What I know about painting, sculpture, or whatever else passes for art nowadays could fit on the head of a pin. I've heard there are these places called "museums," apparently, where an individual or groups of people can go and look at lots of paintings hanging on walls. Occasionally, and again I'm only relating what others told me, the artist sometimes shows up wearing a beret and smoking cheap French cigarettes in order to berate, in the snottiest tones imaginable, the imbeciles who have the temerity to ask questions about his or her work. Are these things true? Beats me. I wouldn't know a museum if it fell on my house. I do, however, know a few things about historical fiction. I know these sorts of novels sweep the reader away to past eras, to places where important historical figures come alive to dance once again across the stage of human achievement. Elizabeth Hickey, in her first stab at historical fiction, promises to take us back to turn of the century Vienna in "The Painted Kiss." It's a story about artist Gustav Klimt and his relationship with a young woman named Emilie Floge.

Both Gustav Klimt and Emilie Floge were real people living in extraordinary times of empire, war, peace, and war again. In fact, the painting on the cover of the book is Klimt's portrait of Floge. She's a long drink of water, that Emilie. She's also got a strongly determined face. Hickey seems to model the character in the book based upon this picture. When we first meet Emilie Floge and her moderately well off family, she's a twelve year old girl watching the ruler of the Austro-Hungarian empire parade through the streets of Vienna. We rapidly learn that Emilie is a perceptive individual, somewhat of a wiseacre, and that her family is quite strict. It's during this parade that our protagonist first meets Gustav Klimt, an up and coming artist who happens to know her father. Soon after, Emilie's parents allow the young painter to compose several portraits of their daughters. Then Floge begins taking painting lessons with Klimt. She's thrilled about spending time with such an exciting personality even as she's slightly repulsed by his bohemian existence. Such patrician inhibitions will soon fade as life at home heats up: the 'rents soon regret allowing their daughters nearly unlimited access to Klimt and his brother, and Emilie grows up enough to realize she has a special connection with Gustav.

The two share a special bond that is not quite asexual. Gustav, now linked to the Floge family through a brother's marriage to one of Emilie's sisters, can't stand the idea of any man making eyes at her. He, however, has little problem seducing the morally challenged models that pose for his paintings, or even striking up a relationship with a girl that cleans his painting supplies. Perhaps most surprisingly, Emilie seems strangely unaffected when she discovers these secret assignations. She oscillates between anger and disinterest, but always stays in close contact with Klimt. Eventually, Floge will open a fashion shop that becomes wildly successful with the rich citizens of the city. As for Gustav Klimt, his career takes off in no uncertain terms. When a bunch of artists feel like the elite establishment of the city is trying to keep their work out of the spotlight, they form a separate artistic organization that wins raves from some critics. These events wax and wane against the backdrop of World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian state. The story continues long after Gustav Klimt passes away in 1918, following Emilie's social and economic misfortunes up to and during the Second World War.

"The Painted Kiss" is a cracking good read that I enjoyed immensely. Like I said, I have little experience with art. Fortunately, you don't need a background in European painters to enjoy the story. Hickey's seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the trends in late 19th and early 20th century art carries the reader effortlessly through the narrative. The author brings the city of Vienna alive, from the minute details associated with dining in a café to strolling about the city. At least it feels authentic--I've never been there so I don't know. By far the best part of the story, thankfully, is the main character. I like Emilie Floge. I liked her within a few pages. It's hard not to. Sure, she's a bit confused when it comes to dealing with the primary man in her life, Gustav Klimt, but her personality traits are wonderful. She's witty, capable of devastating sarcasm, and intelligent. I've always enjoyed hanging around with smart, capable women, and Emilie definitely defines the ideal of the independent woman. Klimt comes off a little less sympathetically. He's talented, no doubt about that, but his treatment of other people would secure him a place in an anger management seminar today. Ahhh, such is the life of an artist!

I heartily recommend Elizabeth Hickey's "The Painted Kiss" to lovers of historical fiction. Readers who know a lot about art would likely enjoy the book as well. The best thing I can say about the novel, and this means a lot coming from me, is that the story actually made we want to learn a bit more about art. I'm not prepared to run down to the local museum just yet, mind you, nor will I head over to the local store and stock up on a bunch of coffee table books full of pictures of paintings. Nah, nothing like that. However, I'm now more open to the idea that there are actually things beyond books and movies that could capture my attention. How about that for an endorsement? Give this one a read if you get the chance!

In this absorbing novel, Elizabeth Hickey explores the complex relationship between artist and muse. THE PAINTED KISS is the story of Emilie Flöge, a successful fashion designer who, as a young girl in late-1800s Vienna, meets the enigmatic artist Gustav Klimt and his brother, Ernst. Hired by her father to provide art lessons for Emilie and her sister, Helene, Gustav embarks on a long-standing, passionate, and difficult relationship with Emilie that spans their entire lives.

THE PAINTED KISS is rooted in historical biography: the artist Klimt did in fact have a lifelong relationship with an Emilie Flöge (her sister, Helene, did marry his brother Ernst), and Flöge was the owner of a successful fashion salon in Vienna --- although it is unclear as to whether their relationship was ever more than platonic. Hickey skillfully gathers the ends of these historical threads and weaves them into an engrossing tapestry revolving around one of Austria's most renowned artists --- indeed, one of the greatest artists of the period and a trailblazer of the art nouveau movement. The story is told in flashbacks as Emilie lives the difficulties of World War II Vienna, remembering her life --- and her love story with Klimt --- as their lives played out in a city of cafes, operas, glittering society, and a growing artistic movement.

But life with Klimt is not all cake and marzipa: Klimt was nothing if not a passionate lover of the female form --- as most of his greatest works, in particular Danae and Water Serpents I and II, can attest. He was intimately involved with many of the society women who modeled for him --- including Adele Bloch-Bauer and Alma Mahler --- and his studio was a virtual revolving door for the lower and working class women who modeled for him (viewed as little more than prostitutes in that era.) The story of Emilie and Gustav is as much about love frustrated and thwarted as it is about the creative fire of artistic passion.

Fans of THE GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING instantly will be drawn to this novel, as will the many fans of Gustav Klimt's epic paintings Portrait of Emilie Flöge and The Kiss --- whose stories are imagined by Hickey in these pages. Hickey is a gifted storyteller who wrings every nuance out of her elaborate setting to create a lush and engrossing read. Although the mysterious relationship between Gustav Klimt and Emilie Flöge may be no easier to scrutinize after reading Hickey's imagined biography, the passions that fired a creative genius --- as well as the enigmatic ties that bind artist to muse --- continue to fascinate readers and art lovers both, and will continue to do so for years to come.

--- Reviewed by Lourdes Orive

This imagined relationship between Gustav Klimt and Emilie Floge does not really engage the reader. Rather than presenting a sensual love story, both characters come across as cold and detached. The "supporting cast" is equally haughty and unsympathetic.

In addition to producing exceptional art, Klimt also produces numerous children by his various "models" yet accepts no responsibility for them, and Emilie seems steeped in doubt about eveything from her feelings for Klimt to her ability to produce fashion designs without his input. (Could they be the Viennese version of Brittany and K-Fed??). If you love Klimt's art, as I do, read about the "real" man and pass on this fictionalized version of his life. It definitely leaves much to be desired. 1 1/2 stars

This is an ambitious novel by its first time author. The focal point of the book is the relationship between noted Austrian painter, Gustav Klimt, and Emilie Floge, mistress of an exclusive fashion salon in fin de siecle Vienna. This is a woman whose name would be upon his lips when Klimt died. Who was she, and what was their relationship?

As there is little known in the historical record about the relationship between Gustav Klimt and Emilie Floge, the author was free to let her imagination wander. Told as a first person narrative by Emilie Floge, the book reveals a relationship that would encompass many years, many events, and many changes. Having first met Gustav Klimt when she was a twelve year old girl, and he was but a penniless, nearly starving, artist, she becomes his pupil. As he instructs this young girl in the fundamentals of drawing, a certain undeniable attraction exists. She is fascinated by him, and he eventually notices the nubile young girl that she is. Under his tutelage, our bourgeois young lady glimpses the world of the demi-monde, a world where artists' models and artists would bypass the mores of accepted society.

Theirs was a relationship that would span his lifetime until his death at the age of fifty-six. Yet, theirs was not to be the passion of great lovers. Their relationship, at least in the imaginings of the author, was more one of intimate friendship. Through the eyes of Emilie Floge, the reader sees the accession of Gustav Klimt into the highest rungs of Viennese society, a sought after, though somewhat controversial, artist and lover. He, in turn, becomes Emilie's patron, assisting her with the establishment of her haute couture salon, where she would dress the wealthy women who sought out Gustav Klimt in hopes of becoming his mistress. That position was one that Emilie herself had considered but eschewed in the final analysis. The author conveys a certain feeling of melancholy between the two protagonists, who are bound together by something stronger than a fleeting passion. In the end, Emilie became something even more important to Gustav Klimt. She became his muse.

This is a fairly well-written, introspective work of historical fiction that occasionally lacks substance. At times, it feels as superficial as the society about which the author writes. The author, however, intersperses commentary on some of Gustav Klimt's paintings. These are paintings that bear some relation to Emilie's narrative, and the use of this commentary is an interesting literary contrivance. So, there is much to enjoy in this novel, and I look forward to this promising author's next book. Should anyone wonder what Emilie Floge looked like, one need only look at the beautiful cover art of the book. Gracing the cover is a painting by Gustav Klimt of the lovely Emilie Floge.

This is Elizabeth Hickey's first book-and I hope the first of many. Hickey's degree is in Art History, and she went on to get an MFA from Columbia University.

The Painted Kiss is the intriguing story of the relationship between Gustav Klimt and young Emilie Flöge, set in fin de siecle Vienna. Great artists like Mahler, Moser, Egon Schiele, and Kokoschka are part of the story.

Emilie and Klimt became friends, and eventually lovers; and Emilie helped in the Secession movement, when radical artists pulled out of the Kunstlerhaus exhibits, and began their own shows, and publications. Eventually they built their own exhibit hall, called Vienna Secession. Emilie's exposure to Gustav and his friends and their unusual lifestyle made it possible for her to free herself from the stifling restrictions on women in those times.

Emilie's father respects artists (he is a manufacturer of meerschaum pipes), and is eventually resigned to Emilie's sister Helene marrying Gustav's artist brother Ernst. Gustav in turn urges Emile to begin her own fashion house. Eventually it is built with artists from the Viennese Workshop (Wiener Werkstätte) designing everything in the interior. Her salon is plain, with white walls, grey carpeting, black woodwork, and white furniture. It was considered very avant garde, and Emilie's creations were also very unusual in the time of corsets and hats and gloves-she was part of the dress reform movement (comfortable loose fitting clothing, with unusual patterns, and luxurious materials). The creation of one of art nouveau's most iconic works, The Kiss, is the climax of the book. The Painted Kiss is very atmospheric, and a great read.

The only work of art is Klimt's portrait of Emilie done in 1902, on the cover. This is my only criticism of the book-that there are not more works of art or photographs. I would recommend Gustav Klimt: Silver, Gold and Precious Stones by Angela Wenzel, part of the Adventures in Art series. (Prestel Verlag, 2000) Despite being a children's book, it is full of wonderful pictures and photos, including one of Gustav and Emilie in a rowboat at the Flöge summer house at Kammer am Attersee, pictures of Emilie's salon and many illustrations of Klimt's work.

While I agree with some of the negative points made in other reviews, I still grant five stars to this book, since the author is able to weave her expertise in art history (and it seems to me, history generally) with the painful and ecstatic humanity of the characters. I appreciated the subtle references that would only be understood by those who also have a background in either art or Austrian/German history, such as the leadup to the Nazi "Degenerate" art show, though even if one were unfamiliar with this period the author paints the mood appropriately dark and uncertain.
For years I have admired Klimt's work, particularly -- even though it is cliched in certain ways -- "The Kiss." I have always believed that the artist was expressing emotions of profound love moving from the man to the woman in the painting. After reading "The Painted Kiss," I feel so vindicated! Additionally, the author has created for the reader a painting of words that take one back to the era of Art Nouveau, of Vienna in the fin de siecle, capturing the qualities, and daring, and somehow *newness,* of Victorian erotica. The feeling created reminds me of a blissful semester in a seminar on Paris and Berlin in the 1920s. If you love the magic of late 19th-early 20th centuries history, art, and culture, this book -- despite its minor flaws, is a don't miss.

Although I dabbled in art during my formative years, I never rose to the level of "artist." That didn't stop me from falling in love with the genre I've dubbed "historical art fiction," however. In recent years, talented authors have treated us to the stories behind the paintings, including those by Vermeer ("Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier, and "Girl in Hyacinth Blue" by Susan Vreeland), Leonardo Da Vinci ("Leonardo's Swans" by Karen Essex), and Artemisia Gentileschi (Susan Vreeland).

In "The Painted Kiss," Elizabeth Hickey plunges the reader into the beautiful, hectic world of turn-of-the-century Vienna, in full Art Nouveau swing. Her debut novel traces the backstory of Gustav Klimt's famous "Painted Kiss," in which a man and woman pause during an intimate moment of quiet rapture. Her narrator is Emilie Floge, one of Klimt's many lovers, and the novel begins with twelve-year-old Emilie's first glimpse of the Klimt twins as they paint during the emperor's visit.

Emilie is fascinated by Klimt, and her father secures drawing lessons with the maestro. Although she possesses some artistic talent, she knows that she will never be great at drawing, and instead turns to the world of fashion. The novel cuts between World Wars, with an elderly Emilie in exile sewing blackout curtains and awaiting the fall of Vienna. The colors, sights and sounds of Vienna's teahouses and concert halls are brought to life in a riot of fabrics, smells and sound.

Over the years, Emilie realizes that Klimt's wandering streak (including many mistresses and illegitimate children) is part of his nature, along with his bouts of melancholy and depression over his brother's untimely death. She also knows that Klimt will never exclusively be hers, but decides to take each moment she is given. Emilie becomes a renowned designer in her own right, but as tastes change, so do the clients' demands, and she eventually falls out of fashion before the start of the war.

A fascinating glimpse of the privileged world of fin-de-siecle Vienna and the unglamorous world of its artists, contrasting with the stark isolation and poverty that WWII brings, "The Painted Kiss" is a luminous debut and a welcome addition to historical art fiction.