Klimtian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt or to the ornate, gilded, decorative style associated with his work
2. Describing the art or manner of Gustav Klimt, marked by gold leaf, swirling patterns and sensuous decorative detail
3. Characteristic of the Austrian Secession painter Gustav Klimt, with its lavish ornamentation and flat, patterned forms

Etymology: Gustav Klimt was the Austrian painter behind "The Kiss" and the gilded portraits of Vienna's society women, and the adjective "Klimtian" follows the usual pattern for turning a famous artist's name into a descriptor. It is built from the German surname Klimt plus the suffix "-ian," the same ending found in words like "Shakespearean" and "Mozartian," which marks something as belonging to or resembling a particular person. The result is a term that critics and writers reach for when a surface looks like Klimt's work: flat, ornamental fields of gold leaf, spirals and mosaic-like patterning, and figures set into decorative backgrounds. Because the name is the whole of the formation, the word carries the painter's style directly, with no added layer of meaning.