Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt, Stylised Art Nouveau Decorative Cushion

Tree of Life (1905-1911) by Gustav Klimt. The Tree of Life is a vintage Art Nouveau painting featuring the tree of knowledge calling into question the black bird of prey, the symbol of death. The normal life cycle as understood by Freud and Klimt. The Stoclet Frieze is a series of Symbolism panels and Gustav Klimt's last great mural work. They were painted in the dining room of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels from 1905-1911. The panels of Klimt's frieze contain abstract motifs, stylised ones (Tree of Life) and figured ones (Fulfilment and Expectation). The girl dancing under the Tree of Life represents Expectation. The couple embracing beneath the Tree of Life represents Fulfilment. The black bird of prey sitting in the Tree of Life represents death. About the artist: Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Art Nouveau movement.