Among the master pieces of Gustav Klimt, Death and Life won the first price at the world exhibition in Rome in 1911. The award was a great honor for Gustav Klimt paintings and also a clear indication of his standing within the artistic community.
Death and Life has two very clearly separated parts. To the left, we see Death. Death is depicted and the classic grim reaper, a grinning skull, covered in a dark robe covered with symbols. The main symbol we see covering Death is that of the cross.
To the right we see life. We see a number of young women lying on a flower bed. We have seen similar flower beds before, e.g. in The Kiss We see a newly created life, a baby, lying in their arms. We see a muscular man holding one of the women and we see an older woman also lying in the middle of the group. The depiction thus covers people, young and old, with a focus on the adults in their best age. There is an over representation of women in the painting which could refer to women as the source of all life. It could also reflect Klimt’s preference for depiction women, preferably somewhat undressed. All the subjects are somewhat covered by cloth bearing numerous symbols.
The composition and execution is thus typical Klimt, with symbols taking a center stage. The scene on the flower bed is also reminiscent of Klimt’s The Virgin, though the presence of a man, child and older woman are differences. Still, the overall depiction is very similar.
The title and order of things is another interesting facet of this painting. You would normally refer to Life and Death but Klimt depicts it otherwise, as if Death comes first, stalking life.
Death and Life can today be found in a private collection.
