Gustav Klimt. 1905, oil on canvas.
National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome.

The young female image is organically woven into the ornament of life, the image old woman stands out from it. The contrast between the stylized image of a young woman and the naturalistic image of an old woman

acquires a symbolic meaning: the first phase of life brings with it endless possibilities and metamorphoses, the last one - constancy and conflict with reality.

The canvas does not let go, it gets into the soul and makes you think about the depth of the artist's message, as well as about the depth and inevitability of life.

Source: http://www.adme.ru/hudozhniki-i-art-proekty/samye-strannye-kartiny-328505/#image8811360 Bright Side

Gustav Klimt "Three Ages of Woman" Description of the picture

To the category of unusual and, without exaggeration, mysterious works Klimt, includes the work “Three Ages of a Woman”, in which the artist again turns to the female theme that constantly excites him, but in a more “extended” aspect, touched upon earlier in the painting “Love”. Conditionally dividing life path women for the three most important periods, Klimt not only emphasized the cyclicity of this path, but also showed life and death, in their inseparable bundle; maybe that's why, when contemplating the plot, you can feel both a sense of joy and "infect" with despondency and sadness.

Carefree infancy, conveyed through a childish figure, most likely shows only the “starting point” of a life that has just begun, and causes only tenderness. The stylized image of a young woman who is in harmony with herself and the world around her, which is emphasized by her image against the background of a bright ornament of life, contrasts sharply with the character of an old woman, defiantly naturalistic. In such a contrast of these two images, one can find a symbolic meaning, showing two phases of life: the first, when a woman has already achieved a lot, but still “enjoys” the feeling of being able to make a choice in any matter that concerns her personally, and the second is just putting up with “ fruits" of the choice made earlier, with tears perceiving reality.

In this work, the naked bodies of the characters are far from Klimtian eroticism, which is not always clear to the public, and even more so to criticism, but the freshness of life and the light emanating from the mother and child repeatedly shade the shriveled flesh of the old woman, restoring a kind of balance in the composition.

Only in isolated cases, commenting on his work, Klimt always left the viewer the right to independently find the meaning of what is depicted in the paintings, without giving any "suggestive" clues; “Three Ages of Woman” was no exception: it would seem that the theme of the work is unequivocally female, but by detaining one’s attention on the character of the old woman, a question may arise that worries everyone: “doesn’t the final Judgment that Scripture speaks of look like this?”

Toropygina M. - "Three Ages of a Woman" by G. Klimt. How to enjoy in each of them?

"Three Ages of a Woman" by G. Klimt. How to enjoy in each of them?

You are a woman, you are a book between books,
You are a rolled up, sealed scroll;
In his lines and thoughts, and words in abundance,
In his sheets every moment is insane.
V.Ya. Bryusov
Three ages of a woman ... But are there only three of them? Never thought about it before. I thought about the fact that life is a path, that life, as the Buddha said, “with its phenomena can be likened to a dream, a phantom, a bubble, a shadow, a sheen of dew or a flash of lightning.” Thoughts about age also came, similar to the thoughts of F. La Rochefoucauld that “we enter different ages of our life, like newborns, having no experience behind us, no matter how old we are.”

And now there are “three ages of a woman”… But there are really three of them… After all, we are talking about a WOMAN, not a girl, not a girl, but a WOMAN. These ages, paradoxically, have no age limits in my opinion. These ages are inside every woman, and only SHE knows when one ends and another begins.

The first is the age of sensuality
You absorb all the colors of the world, start to love and accept love. You comprehend her, and with her her reverse side- jealousy, hatred, anger, and maybe betrayal, you learn to forgive and understand.
Climbing to the pinnacle of sensuality. And all thanks to this wonderful period in a woman's life! You enter it almost as a girl, and by the end of it you become a WOMAN.
You can deeply and deeply understand the essence of life values, feel what is closer and more important to you.
There may already be children. And that is great! Some people go to school. You enjoy motherhood and love loved one. You are becoming a mature person capable of truly loving.
A WOMAN is gradually awakening in you. The peak of your sexuality, energy radiation begins. And even if there is no life partner nearby, you have the confidence that if not now, then very soon you will become happy, no matter what.
Concerning professional activity: here you are already an experienced employee, or maybe a small one, but a boss, or maybe even manage a large company. In any case, whoever you are, you have something to appreciate and respect. Or maybe you have come to the realization that you are not doing your job. And then there are plenty of opportunities to start this path all over again and get a lot of pleasure from it.
What a wonderful period in the life of a WOMAN!

The second is the age of pleasure

You know yourself well, you know, for sure, what suits you more: long dress or a short skirt, tight or wide trousers, knitted sweater or a bright jacket. You do not run after fashion, but wear elegant things that suit you.
Your children gradually grow up and they no longer need so much attention. And here you begin to feel freedom. And all this thanks to another wonderful period in a woman's life!
You start putting more time into work. You have a good experience behind you, and this will definitely have a positive effect on your career.
You have become much smarter and will no longer do as many stupid things as before. If you have been together with your life partner for many years, then you have studied him, perhaps even better than yourself. And you will no longer quarrel over trifles, and you know how to prevent global quarrels.
You know your body well, you have become free even in sex, you are not afraid to get pregnant, after all, menopause has its advantages.
You enjoy this freedom. Walks in the evening city, candlelight dinners, travel, exhibitions, museums, the warmth of relationships with a loved one. You are not distracted: children build their own lives, they have their own families. They come to you, or maybe you live together, in our country this is a frequent occurrence. Sometimes in the evenings you drink tea together, talk, you share your experience with them, which you have enough. They care that you are there and that you are happy.
How wonderful it is!
The third is the age of harmony
You are beautiful, harmonious and whole inside, you enjoy life. Your femininity has not been lost, beauty has remained, it just has become different, you shine with it from the inside. Your gray hair and wrinkles give you solidity, and you do not want to change them for the old hair and velvety skin.
yours female power lies in the power of feelings, in the depths of your heart, in the power of love.
You have become wise. You understand people well, you can support them, give advice, because you have a huge life experience.
There is a person next to you with whom you have traveled a long and not easy path together. The past years have united you so much that you have become one whole and now no adversity can separate you. If this person is not there, then you still have memories of him: quivering, tender, with a slight sadness. They are always with you.
You see what your children have become, how your grandchildren have matured, how great-grandchildren are growing. And what a joy it is to see them all, to sit together as a friendly family at the table, over a glass of wine, laugh and talk.
You can chat for hours on the phone or meet your girlfriends and talk, talk, talk about everything in the world.
What happiness!
Yes, Gustav Klimt was absolutely right when he painted exactly three ages of a woman. Each age is unique, mysterious. Each hides a lot of pleasures, you just need to want to find them there!
In the painting “Three Ages of a Woman”, Klimt again turned to the topic life cycle(infancy, maturity and withering) and the inseparability of life and death, dedicating an independent work to her (for the first time an allegorical depiction of the three ages of a woman

Description

The canvas symbolizes the cycle of life, which is one of the central motifs of Klimt's work. The artist expressed the opposition of youth and old age with stylistic contrasts and differences in the perception of reality. On the one hand, a young woman with a sleeping child in her arms is a worldly Madonna, herself immersed in a state similar to a dream, passive, stylized, woven into the ornamental background of the canvas. On the other side is an old woman in profile, covering her face in despair. Thus, the contrast between the stylized image of a young woman and the naturalistic image of an old woman acquires a symbolic meaning: the first phase of life brings with it endless possibilities and metamorphoses, the last one - unchanging constancy and conflict with reality.