August 23rd

Death and Life by Gustav Klimt-Leopold Museum Vienna

The Leopold Museum houses the private art collection of Dr. Leopold, who just recently died in June of this year. Dr.O had gone through the museum with Frau Leopold and as always was able to relay great information about the late doctor’s collection of fabulous artwork. The museum houses some of the most significant pieces of Austrian expressionism and the secession movement. With the world’s largest Schiele collection, the Leopold also has great pieces by Gustav Klimt, who was greatly influenced by Egon Schiele’s works and both artists succumbed to the Spanish Influenza epidemic that ravaged Europe from 1918-1919. The piece of art that stood out to me was Klimt’s Death and Life that he actually painted in 1910, but then went back and made changes to it in 1915. It depicts a menacing death figure, ready to snuff out the lives of the individuals portrayed on the right who are far removed from death. There is a newborn baby, whom is being showered with love from the proud mother. There is a couple who is shown mourning for the loss of a loved one, and a pensive old woman who seems to be praying. Klimt used rich -colors; the most prominent colors that immediately catch your eye are the rich violets, and blues that seem to draw you on the focal figure of death in the painting. Klimt actually went back after World War I broke out, to add in figures that were actually closer to the figure of death. Now that the youth of Europe were dying on the battlefield, Klimt realized that this was a dark time for Europe and to me, he seemed obligated to make a statement about the carnage that is directly associated with war. The crosses on the figure of death symbolize to me the lives sacrificed for the sake of one’s country. I got the impression after looking upon the work for several minutes that Klimt was trying to convey the joys that life can bring but also the mystery that surrounds death that subconsciously everyone has to face at one point or another. The figure of death symbolizes the fear of the unknown and the inevitable end that everyone must confront, but has no desire to contemplate.