Description of the painting by Gustav Klimt “Tree of Life”

Description of the painting by Gustav Klimt Tree of Life

The creation of this canvas is associated with the name of the magnate Adolf Stokwe, who in 1904 decided to build a huge family. At that time there was a fashion to draw pictures on buildings and inside them, so the Viennese industrialist invited several artists (including Gustav Klimt), offering them a contract.

The industrialist was fond of Japanese art, so Klimt decided to draw the appropriate picture that would complement the overall design. As a result, the famous “Tree of Life” appeared, consisting of three elements – expectations, ecstasy and the very tree of life.

The name carries a symbolic meaning and encourages the viewer to think: perhaps the artist tried to depict the biblical tree of reason or illustrate the family tree of all humanity. The branches of the tree can be attributed to the symbol of infinity – the branches meet and intertwine with each other, creating a real maze of leaves and unusual decorations.

More attentive viewers can detect a large number of triangles, squares and ovals. Experts say that these characters in the Japanese are considered masculine and feminine. Europeans associate these symbols with the works of Sigmund Freud (it is worth noting that Klimt read his works). Who knows, maybe this great Freud inspired the artist to create such an unusual picture.

Klimt spent more than 6 years in his workshop, working on a golden tree – the central symbol of the picture. The artist knowingly turned to the golden color, symbolizing life. This is the main color of the picture, the rest play the role of appendages to the golden tree. In general, the symbolism of the picture can not write a separate article, but a whole book, so we limited ourselves to the central symbols. Yes, and the only correct explanation for the picture is not, everyone understands it in their own way.


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Description of the painting by Gustav Klimt “Tree of Life”