Popsugar Beauty Beauty News Rainbow Hair Inspired by Famous Art Colorist Transforms Classic Artwork Into Rainbow Hair May 26, 2017 by Emily Orofino First Published: February 1, 2016 View On One Page Photo 4 of 10 ADVERTISEMENT () Start Slideshow Fine Art series: The Kiss, by Austrian Symbolist Gustav Klimt. Perhaps one of my favorite paintings, this work is characteristic of Klimt's gold period, where he did many paintings adorned with gold leaf and warm tones. Klimt's artistic career is a great example of failure being followed by immense success. More than a decade before this painting was done, Klimt received a serious blow to his artistic reputation. He had been commissioned to make three paintings for the University of Vienna. He spent several years on them, but they were not only rejected by the university, but also very heavily criticized for being "pornographic". (Check them out to see for yourself - they are titled "Philosophy", "Medicine", and "Jurisprudence", and were ultimately destroyed by Nazis during WWII. I happen to think they are quite beautiful, and visually interesting, and think it is shameful they were rejected.) Soon after, Klimt spent some time in Italy, which exposed him to Byzantine mosaics that likely heavily influenced his use of gold leaf in future works. This style is what ultimately gave him critical praise which then allowed him to become highly selective about the commissions he took, leading to a very financially comfortable life. His work now fetches some of the highest prices in the art world. I like this story because it highlights that success is often a long road, occasionally punctuated by enormous failure or loss. If you are looking to achieve anything, on any level, then it seems that the absolute best strategy is to simply persist. Keep going. Keep trying. Do you agree? When you look back on your life, do you feel that your failures were necessary stops on the way? #art #painting #klimt #gustavklimt #thekiss #gold #goldleaf #yellowhair #goldhair #symbolism #failure #success #behindthechair #modernsalon #fashionablygeek A photo posted by Ursula Goff (@uggoff) on Jan 25, 2016 at 12:44pm PST Share This Link Copy ← Use Arrow Keys → 4 Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" Previous Next Start Slideshow Beauty NewsBeauty TrendsHair TrendsHair Color