Medicine by Gustav Klimt

The mysticism of healing rituals and the solemnity of ancient mythological figures inspire this vertical composition of great visual and decorative power. Under the title of “Medicine”, the Secession art scholar Klimt Gustav stages a sacred priestess in the heart of a grandiose ornamental architecture. The painting manifests the author’s desire to sacralize the body through a hieratic pose and absolute documentary rigor regarding the attributes of medical allegory.

A woman with a haughty bearing and dark hair crowned with golden laurel leaves stands straight in the center, staring into the distance with an impassive gaze. She is dressed in a long purple-red robe decorated with golden vertical lines and complex circular motifs that majestically drape her silhouette. With her two arms crossed in front of her chest, she holds a long golden snake that wraps around her slender limbs to approach its head to a golden bowl held on the right. In the background, blurred silhouettes and misty vapors in shades of mother-of-pearl and ocher complete this mysterious setting. A directional light makes the precious ornaments shimmer, accentuating the whiteness of her skin.

The craftsman’s technical skill resplends in the faithful reproduction of the snake’s chiseled details and the brilliance of the gold-adorned robe. His flawless oil painting technique gives a matte finish and perfect flatness to the surfaces while conferring a unique expressionistic realism to the whole. This meticulous artisanal work demonstrates technical virtuosity.