The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze, 1905 by Gustav Klimt
The Tree of Life is an important symbol used by many theologies, philosophies and mythologies. It signifies the connection between heaven and earth and the underworld, and the same concept is illustrated by Gustav Klimt's famous
mural, The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze. For Klimt's admirers, the mural also has another significance, being the only landscape created by the artist during his golden period. Klimt used oil painting techniques with gold paint, to create
luxurious art pieces, during that time.
The concept of the tree of life is illustrated by Gustav Klimt's painting, in a bold and original manner. The swirling branches create mythical symbolism, suggesting the perpetuity of life. The branches twist, twirl, turn, spiral
and undulate, creating a tangle of strong branches, long vines and fragile threads, an expression of life's complexity. With its branches reaching for the sky, the tree of life roots into the earth beneath, creating the connection
between heaven and earth, a concept often used to explain the concept of the tree of life, in many cultures, religions and ideologies. The tree of life illustrated by Klimt also creates another connection, with the underworld,
signifying the final determinism governing over any living thing, that is born, grows, and then returns back into the earth.
While many talk about the symbol of unity in Gustav Klimt' The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze, there are others that consider it an expression of masculine and feminine. The feminine expressed in the painting symbolizes sustenance, care and
growth, while the masculine is expressed through the use of phallic representations. From this different union, life is born, and the tree of life, as well.
Others say that the painting symbolizes the union between man's greatest virtues, which are strength, wisdom and beauty. The tree reaching for the sky is a symbol of man's perpetual yearning for becoming more, yet his roots are
still bound to the earth.
One of the important qualities of The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze is that it challenges the viewer to spend more time admiring the painting, while gauging all its meanings. While the artist uses a richness of symbols, gold for paint and
other luxurious techniques to illustrate a magical world, the presence of a single black bird draws the viewer towards the central part of the painting. The black bird is a reminder that everything that has a beginning also has an
end, as black birds have been used as a symbol of death by many cultures.
The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze is among the most recognisable from Gustav Klimt's career,
