Death and Life

English

Death and Life: Gustave Klimt

Price: Price on Request
Art Type: Oil Painting
Size:
English Comments: 0
International Comments: 0
Creating Date:
Introduction and Works of Gustave Klimt >>

Contemporary-Art.org

Reproduction

Enlarge

Gustave Klimt Oil Painting - Death and Life

Keywords: Death, Life

Work Overview: Death and Life
Artist Gustav Klimt
Year 1915
Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 178 cm × 198 cm (70 in × 78 in)
Style: Art Nouveau (Modern)
Period: Golden phase
Genre: allegorical painting
Location: Leopold Museum, Vienna, Austria

Death and Life (Italian: Morte e Vita) is an oil on canvas painting by Austrian symbolist painter, Gustav Klimt whose primary subject was the female body. His paintings, murals, and sketches are marked by a sensual eroticism, which is especially apparent in his pencil drawings. The painting was started in 1908 and completed in 1915. It is created in an Art Nouveau (Modern) style by use of allegorical painting genre during Golden phase. The painting measures 178 by 198 centimeters and is now housed at the Leopold Museum in Vienna.

This is one of Klimt’s central themes, central also to his time and to his contemporaries among them Edvard Munch and Egon Schiele. Klimt makes of it a modern dance of death, but unlike Schiele, he introduces a note of hope and reconciliation, instead of feeling threatened by the figure of death, his human beings seem to disregard it. The imagination of the artist is focused no longer on physical union, but rather on the expectation that precedes it. Perhaps this new found serenity is rooted in Klimt’s own awareness of aging and closeness to death. But before the moment came when he chose to depict nothing more than moments of intense pleasure or miraculous beauty and youth.

Gustav Klimt’s large painting Death and Life, created in 1910, features not a personal death but rather merely an allegorical Grim Reaper who gazes at “life” with a malicious grin. This “life” is comprised of all generations: every age group is represented, from the baby to the grandmother, in this depiction of the never-ending circle of life. Death may be able to swipe individuals from life, but life itself, humanity as a whole, will always elude his grasp. The circle of life likewise repeats itself in the diverse, wonderful, pastel-coloured circular ornaments which adorn life like a garland. The painting gained the first prized at the International Art Excebition in Rome. Klimt described this painting as his most important figurative work. Nevertheless he began making changes with this version in 1915, only that the painting by then had allready been framed for a long time. The background, reportedly once gold-coloured, was made grey, and both death and life were given further ornaments. Standing before the original and examining the left interior edge of Josef Hoffmann’s frame for the painting, one can still discern traces of the subsequent over-painting, which was done by Klimt himself.

Gustav Klimt’s large painting Death and Life, created in 1910, features not a personal death but rather merely an allegorical Grim Reaper who gazes at “life” with a malicious grin. This “life” is comprised of all generations: every age group is represented, from the baby to the grandmother, in this depiction of the never-ending circle of life. Death may be able to swipe individuals from life, but life itself, humanity as a whole, will always elude his grasp. The circle of life likewise repeats itself in the diverse, wonderful, pastel-coloured circular ornaments which adorn life like a garland. Gustav Klimt described this painting, which was honoured with a first prize at the 1911 International Art Exhibition in Rome, as his most important figurative work. Even so, he seems to suddenly no longer have been satisfied with this version in 1915, for he then began making changes to the painting—which had been framed for long by that time. The background, reportedly once gold-coloured, was made grey, and both death and life were given further ornaments. Standing before the original and examining the left interior edge of Josef Hoffmann’s frame for the painting, one can still discern traces of the subsequent over-painting, which was done by Klimt himself.

Death and Life has two very clearly separated parts. To the left, we see Death. Death is depicted and the classic grim reaper, a grinning skull, covered in a dark robe covered with symbols. The main symbol we see covering Death is that of the cross.

To the right we see life. We see a number of young women lying on a flower bed. We have seen similar flower beds before, e.g. in The Kiss We see a newly created life, a baby, lying in their arms. We see a muscular man holding one of the women and we see an older woman also lying in the middle of the group. The depiction thus covers people, young and old, with a focus on the adults in their best age. There is an over representation of women in the painting which could refer to women as the source of all life. It could also reflect Klimt's preference for depiction women, preferably somewhat undressed. All the subjects are somewhat covered by cloth bearing numerous symbols.

The composition and execution is thus typical Klimt, with symbols taking a center stage.

Only pure colors are used in this paintings, and Gustav Klimt sculpted the figures in his canvase in soft rounded contours. An aging, tired master,

Among the master pieces of Gustav Klimt, Death and Life won the first price at the world exhibition in Rome in 1911.

The symbolism used by Klimt in Death and Life is bold and abrupt, making this a typically accessible artwork. His colour scheme is similarly aggressive, using un-diluted oils, straight onto canvas. Few can fail to spot the message of the artist here.

The two halves of this painting are constructed of Death and Life, with the former on the left and the latter on the right. The grim reaper represents the dark elements to this artwork, whilst the intricate female portrait represents life in all it's purity and beauty.

Many of the elements representing life here can be found throughout his career, such as the flower patterns in The Kiss or the mix of generations found in Three Ages of Woman. Females are portrayed several times in this painting, something Klimt prefered and also his way of symbolising life.

Women and nature together, intertwined, were the two aspects of life that appealed to a positive-minded Klimt. Again, in his indoor garden frieze, he would produce Tree of Life, for example.

The Death and Life Painting by Gustav Klimt is eerie. The artist tackles a topic which raises fear in many people. He has positioned each element in the painting carefully, directing the eyes from one subject to another as he tells his story.

The painting is divided into two halves and is designed as a reminder that Life is always being observed with a degree of malice. This is true for people of any age. Older and younger men and women are represented in the painting, seemingly unaware that at any moment, Death may strike.

Klimt has always utilised colour for contrast in his paintings and his execution of "Death and Life" is no different. Death is portrayed in deep tones, wielding an object that can be used to strike down anyone. It contemplates people from different backgrounds, who are positioned to the viewer's right.

As a Symbolist artist, Klimt suggests several ideas through his use of various symbols in "Death and Life" which are intermingled with the people. Death gazes at everything as a whole, assessing adults in their prime, children and the hidden things represented through symbolism. All of these form Life and the shape of Life approximates a circle.

Klimt's subjects in the circle are there as a reminder that even if Death strikes one, the rest will remain to continue living and thriving. The forms he has used are chilling. His colours are also symbolic as he does not hesitate in applying undiluted oils to the canvas. Death is bold and striking. Its intentions are not subtle or hidden.

The pigments used to portray Life are bright and in one section, flowers seem to be freshly blooming. Other circular ornaments are found right around the circle of Life. They adorn it and speak of beauty which continues even after the roughest times.

Gustav Klimt described "Death and Life" as his most important figurative painting. While it was completed in 1910, he was not fully satisfied with it even five years later. Eventually, he changed the original gold background to gray. He also added more symbolic ornaments to both Death and Life.

Copyright Statement:
All the reproduction of any forms about this work unauthorized by Singing Palette including images, texts and so on will be deemed to be violating the Copyright Laws.
To cite this webpage, please link back here.

>> English Comments >> Chinese Comments >> French Comments >> German Comments >>Report

Gustave Klimt

Work Overview