Description
Beethoven Frieze I (detail) is a section of Klimt’s wall frieze in the Vienna Secession: the three Gorgons, nude women with long dark hair and snakes in their hair, and above them the pale faces of Sickness, Madness and Death. The original is a wall painting of 1901–1902 in casein paint with gold on plaster. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas, in eight upright sizes or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
| Title: | Beethoven Frieze I (detail) |
| Other titles: | Beethovenfries · The Hostile Powers · The Three Gorgons · Fregio di Beethoven |
| Painter: | Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) |
| Year painted: | 1901–1902, for the 14th exhibition of the Vienna Secession |
| Original size: | 215 cm x 314 cm (panel 5; the whole frieze is about 34 m long) |
| Original technique: | Casein paints, stucco, drawing pencil, inlays of glass and mother-of-pearl, gold on plaster |
| Painting style: | Vienna Secession, Golden Period |
| Located at: | Secession, Vienna, on permanent loan from the Belvedere (inv. 5987/5) |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas after the wall painting, gold accents in gold paint, eight sizes or made to measure |
Beethoven Frieze I (detail) – Gustav Klimt
What is shown?
In the foreground stand three nude women with long, dark hair falling over their shoulders and breasts. Golden snakes wind through their hair. These are the Gorgons, daughters of the giant Typhoeus. One looks straight at us, the other two slightly aside, and their bodies are pale, long and slender. Behind them hang golden, patterned cloths scattered with circles, squares and dots.
Above the Gorgons, pale and hollow faces emerge from a dark background, among them a woman with long hair and a skull-like face. The Belvedere names them Sickness, Madness and Death. At the bottom, between the Gorgons’ feet, is a dark round ornament. The scene is as flat as a carpet: the bodies are drawn with thin outlines, and the space between them is filled with pattern, gold and hair.
Which part of the frieze is this?
The Beethoven Frieze runs around three walls of a single room, about 34 metres in all and about two metres high. The long left wall shows the longing for happiness, the right wall its fulfilment in art, and the short wall between them the hostile powers. Our painting is a section of that short wall, from the panel the Belvedere lists as panel 5, The Hostile Powers.
On this wall stands the giant Typhoeus, a huge dark monster with wings and fur, and beside him his daughters, the three Gorgons. Above them are Sickness, Madness and Death, and to the right of the monster Lust, Unchastity and Excess. This very section with the three Gorgons is one of the best-known parts of the whole frieze.
What does the frieze mean, and who are the figures?
The frieze tells a story that follows Richard Wagner’s reading of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Mankind longs for happiness and seeks it; on the way it is threatened by hostile powers; in the end it finds fulfilment in art. The frieze closes with a choir of angels and an embracing couple, under a line from the Ode to Joy: this kiss to the whole world.
In this story the Gorgons are temptation and danger. They are beautiful and terrible at once, and they look at us as if to hold us back. Sickness, Madness and Death above them show what awaits anyone who stops. The Belvedere adds an important detail: the longings, shown as floating spirits, fly past the hostile powers without being touched by them. Evil is shown, but it does not win.
Where is the Beethoven Frieze, and how did it survive?
Klimt painted the frieze for the 14th exhibition of the Vienna Secession, which ran from April to June 1902 and was dedicated to Beethoven. At its centre stood Max Klinger’s statue of Beethoven, and the frieze led visitors towards it. It was made only for the run of the exhibition and was meant to be removed afterwards.
The frieze survived. The Austrian state bought it in 1973, and after restoration it has been on view since 1986 in a basement room of the Secession building in Vienna, fitted out especially for it. It belongs to the Belvedere, which keeps it at the Secession on permanent loan. Anyone visiting Vienna can see it complete, in the room it was conceived for.
Beethoven Frieze I or II – which to choose?
We offer two sections of the same wall. This one, Beethoven Frieze I, shows the three Gorgons with Sickness, Madness and Death above them. Beethoven Frieze II (detail) shows the neighbouring part: Lust, Unchastity and Excess beside the dark fur of the giant Typhoeus.
If you like an upright, almost ornamental composition of three long figures with golden snakes, choose this section; if you are drawn to a denser scene with the monster, choose the other. The two also hang well together. From the same years we also paint The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I and Tree of Life.
How is our hand-painted version made?
The original is not a painting on canvas but a wall painting: casein paints on plaster, with stucco, inlays of glass and mother-of-pearl, and gold. Ours is a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas, made after that wall painting, so you can hang it like any other painting.
The painter first draws the three figures and the faces above them, then paints the pale bodies and the dark hair, and the patterned cloths last. The golden snakes and ornaments are not printed: we apply them in gold paint, by hand, with a brush, so they catch the light.
Because every painting is made for your order, no two are ever quite the same. A printed oil painting reproduction cannot show the relief of the brushstrokes and the shine of the gold paint that you can see and feel on the canvas.
Which size for which wall?
Short answer: 60 x 110 cm for most walls, 40 x 70 or 50 x 90 cm for a narrow wall or a hallway, and 80 x 150 cm or larger for a tall wall or a stairwell. All sizes: 30 x 55, 40 x 70, 50 x 90, 60 x 110, 70 x 130, 80 x 150, 90 x 165 and 100 x 180 cm.
All sizes are upright and follow the proportion of our section, which is almost twice as tall as it is wide, so the Gorgons are the same in every size, only larger or smaller. A canvas with long figures like this works best on a wall that is itself upright: between windows, beside a door, in a hallway or a bedroom. A painting for the living room should take up about two thirds of the width of the furniture below it.
Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 cm above the floor, and 20 to 30 cm above a chest of drawers or a sofa.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If you would like a different size, we paint it to measure. Send us the width and height you want and we will quote a price and a lead time. Every painting we make is stretched over a wooden stretcher and ready to hang.
For the moulding, use our 3D application: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before deciding – the application is for choosing the frame only. If you would like to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room placement service. A slim gold or a dark wooden frame suits the warm, golden tones of the frieze.
Delivery and guarantee
Every painting is made to order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship it stretched and protected for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve; if anything is not right, we correct it while the canvas is still in our workshop. Our returns policy applies to every order.
Every other Klimt work we paint is in the Gustav Klimt gallery, and there is more about the painter in our ten facts about Klimt. If the painting is a gift and you are unsure of the size, there is a wall art voucher: the recipient chooses the size and the subject.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Beethoven Frieze I?
The Beethoven Frieze is in Vienna, in a basement room of the Secession building, where it has been on view since 1986. It belongs to the Belvedere, which keeps it at the Secession on permanent loan. Our section with the three Gorgons comes from the short wall the Belvedere lists as panel 5, The Hostile Powers. The whole frieze is about 34 metres long.
What does Beethoven Frieze I show?
Beethoven Frieze I shows the three Gorgons, nude women with long dark hair and golden snakes in their hair, the daughters of the giant Typhoeus. Above them the pale faces of Sickness, Madness and Death rise out of a dark background. Behind the figures hang golden, patterned cloths. Together they stand for the hostile powers that threaten mankind’s longing for happiness.
What is the meaning of Beethoven Frieze I?
The Beethoven Frieze tells a story after Wagner’s reading of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: the longing for happiness, the hostile powers, and finally fulfilment in art, with a choir of angels and an embrace. The Gorgons are temptation and danger on that path, beautiful and terrible at once. Yet the longings fly past them untouched. More on Wikipedia.
How is Beethoven Frieze I linked to Beethoven and the Ode to Joy?
Beethoven Frieze I is part of the frieze Klimt painted for the Secession’s 14th exhibition in 1902, dedicated to Beethoven, with Max Klinger’s statue at its centre. The frieze follows the Ninth Symphony and ends with a line from the Ode to Joy, this kiss to the whole world, beside a choir of angels and an embrace. Our section comes from the hostile powers before that ending.
What technique is Beethoven Frieze I, and how is your painting made?
The original is a wall painting in casein paint on plaster, with stucco, inlays of glass and mother-of-pearl, and gold. Ours is painted by hand in oil on canvas after that wall painting, so you hang it like any other painting. We apply the golden snakes and ornaments by hand in gold paint, so the whole canvas painting is made by hand.
What is the difference between Beethoven Frieze I and II?
Both sections come from the short wall of the hostile powers. Beethoven Frieze I shows the three Gorgons with Sickness, Madness and Death above them, three long upright figures. Beethoven Frieze II shows the neighbouring part, Lust, Unchastity and Excess, beside the dark fur of the giant Typhoeus. You can choose one, or both and hang them side by side.
In which sizes can I order Beethoven Frieze I?
There are eight upright sizes: 30 x 55, 40 x 70, 50 x 90, 60 x 110, 70 x 130, 80 x 150, 90 x 165 and 100 x 180 cm. All follow the proportion of our section, which is almost twice as tall as it is wide. If you need a different size, we paint it to measure and tell you the price and the lead time in advance.
Where should I hang Beethoven Frieze I?
With its long upright figures, Beethoven Frieze I works best on an upright wall: between windows, beside a door, in a hallway or a bedroom. Because the Gorgons are nude and the scene is dark, many people prefer a more private room or a study. Warm light brings out the gold, so avoid a dark corner without light.
Is Beethoven Frieze I a good gift?
Beethoven Frieze I makes a fine gift for a lover of music, Beethoven or the Vienna Secession, because it ties a painting to the Ninth Symphony. As the subject is unusual and full of nude figures, it is worth knowing that the recipient will like it. If you are unsure of the subject or the size, a voucher is the safer choice.
- Subject: the three Gorgons with snakes in their hair, and above them Sickness, Madness and Death.
- Original: 1901–1902, wall painting in the Secession, Vienna, panel 5, The Hostile Powers.
- Ours: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, gold accents in gold paint, eight sizes or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
