Gustav Klimt Maiden Vase

Gustav Klimt (Vienna, 1862-1918) was a symbolist painter and the leader of the avant-garde Vienna Secession movement, which actively rebelled against the moralistic Victorian ethos of the day.

At the beginning, his work was academic in style. But over time, Klimt was influenced by his study of Japanese and contemporary Art Nouveau styles. His work often centered on sensual renderings of the female body, surrounded by a riot of pattern and color.

In the last years of his life Klimt began to delve more deeply into allegories of life and death. Meant to be a counterpart to an unfinished work named The Bride, The Maiden depicts a young woman dreaming of her life to come. Surrounded by women at various stages of life, her gown is covered with spirals symbolizing fertility in joyful kaleidoscopic color, and edged by flowers that allude to the innocence of youth.

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
The Maiden
1913
Oil on canvas