![]() For unknown reasons, Klimt decided to retouch the painting in 1915, in the second year of the war. Gustav Klimt, Death and Life, 1910–1915, Leopold Museum, Vienna, Austria. In a bold composition, the image represents a universal allegory through which the Viennese artist exemplified the cycle of human life. Death may be able to swipe individuals from life, but life itself, humanity as a whole, will always elude his grasp. Naked bodies are huddled together and surrounded by a colorful abundance of flowers and ornamentation.Įvery age group is represented, from the baby to the grandmother, in this depiction of the never-ending circle of life. Next to Death (who holds a club!), gazing at “life” with a malicious grin, we see the human surge that conveys a vibrant and hopeful impression. Gustav Klimt, Death and Life, 1910–1915, Leopold Museum, Vienna, Austria.īut this painting is different. Ironically enough, Death personification in art is mostly recalled in the context of the Middle Age’s plague epidemics. The painting we present today was made by Gustav Klimt in 1911, a couple of years before the world was set on fire by the Great War and before Klimt’s death due to the Spanish flu. But this part of the visual imaginary won’t be a thing in today’s painting. In turn, people in some stories try to hold on to life by avoiding Death’s visit, or by fending it off with bribery or tricks. It was imagined as a personified force, also known as the Grim Reaper, a living skeleton who causes the victim’s death by coming to collect them. Death has been a fascinating theme for artists since the beginning of time. ![]()
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