Stoclet Frieze - The Tree of Life

Date: 1909
Medium: oil on canvas
Location: Österreichisches Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Vídeň
Dimensions: 195x102

The painting is part of the decoration of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. It is a mosaic in the dining room inspired by Egyptian, Byzantine and Japanese art. This series we are printing is made up of studies for this decoration. That is why you will also find Klimt's notes on the realization on them. We print the entire series in such a way that the individual panels are connected approximately to each other. The central motif of the painting - The Tree of Life - then also in one piece.

The Tree of Life is the central image of one large work, bounded on the left by Expectations , on the right by Filling . The tree of life is an important symbol in many philosophies, religions and myths, representing the connection between heaven, earth and the underworld. It has a unique position among Klimt's works, as it is the only landscape from his "golden period", when he created luxurious works in golden colors. The whole picture is connected with deep symbolism. The spinning branches are supposed to evoke the impression of eternity and the wholeness of life. The entire extent of the tree - from the roots to the tips of the branches - represents the connection between heaven, earth and the underworld, which for Gustav Klimt meant a kind of final determinism ruling over every living thing that is born, grows and then returns to the earth. Some critics find the symbolism of man and woman in the painting instead of heaven and earth, others human beauty and strength. What is certain is that the black bird in the center of the picture draws maximum attention to itself. It symbolizes that everything that begins somewhere also ends.

Klimt painted picture Stoclet Frieze - The Tree of Life in 1909. Prevailing color of this fine art print is yellow and its shape is long. Original size is 195x102. This art piece is located in Österreichisches Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Vídeň. This image is printed on demand - you can choose material, size and finishing.

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918). As a painter, Klimt represents the best period of Vienna – a time when the works of Sigmund Freud or Mahler were developing, and Vienna was at the very least the Central European centre of culture and education. Klimt’s work combines symbolism and Byzantine features that create the undertone of his Art Nouveau style. Klimt’s images have a special, even anxious, atmosphere that often shows the Freudian idea of ​​erotica in any human movement and action. Klimt paints two-dimensionally, with intense colour while at the same time very gently and with refined dignity. Among Klimt’s famous works are the Water Snakes - two women with stylized, interwoven bodies that evoke the surreal world of fantasy and sensuality. Another masterpiece is Danae, a work inspired by Greek mythology, depicting a girl seized by Zeus, who was turned into a golden rain (Danae later gave birth to Perseus). His paintings often aroused passions and public protests, not only for their content but also for the innovative painting methods - eg. The Girlfriends, an image of two women at a romantic meeting.