The Three Ages of Woman – Klimt Panoramic Puzzle

Klimt ‘s The Three Ages of Woman is an oil painting on canvas measuring 180 x 180 cm.
It was created in 1905 and is based on the Art Nouveau style in a Symbolist pictorial genre. The work is preserved at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome .

The painting symbolically revisits three moments (or phases) of female life: childhood , motherhood and old age .

In this painting, Gustav Klimt represents a theme we often find in his work: the precariousness of life and beauty. In The Three Ages of Woman, an explicit allegory of life and the passing of the seasons appears.

The gesture of the elderly woman covering her eyes is dramatic: it represents a renunciation of facing reality and the inevitability of death. It symbolizes the inexorable passage of time and the death that threatens all humanity, not just women.

The young woman, depicted frontally and covered only by a veil, appears to have a pale complexion but her luminosity creates a strong and energetic contrast with that of the older woman, as does the golden color of her hair.

The little girl is plump, a detail evident in her rosy cheeks. Like the woman holding her, she has her eyes closed, as if immersed in an unreal dimension. From the faces of the two female figures with their eyes closed, however, one can sense a sense of contentment or spiritual happiness.

In terms of spatial organization, Klimt creates a two-dimensional work. The background is divided vertically into zones featuring alternating decorative motifs and deep black areas, which tend to transform the human figures themselves into ornamental elements. A clear horizontal divide then separates the black background at the top from the gold lower section, almost as if to suggest a division between heaven and earth.