Gustav Klimt – Fulfillment

Fulfillment is the pair of lovers from Klimt’s Stoclet Frieze: a man in a long golden robe, seen from behind, embraces a woman who rests her face on his shoulder with her eyes closed, while the golden spirals of the tree of life curl around them. The original is a full-size working drawing kept at the MAK in Vienna, and the mosaic laid after it adorns the dining room of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. We paint it by hand in oils on canvas, in upright sizes or made to measure, and send you a photo of the finished painting for approval before it ships.

Fulfillment – Gustav Klimt

What does the painting show?

The painting is upright and shows two people in a close embrace, seen from the side. The man stands with his back to us. He wears a long robe scattered with gold rectangles and eye-shaped motifs, and holds the woman against him with both arms. Of her we mostly see the face, resting on his shoulder with the eyes closed, and the hand that lies on his back. Her dress is lighter, full of round patterns and small flowers, so it stands apart from his clothing of straight, severe shapes.

Around the couple the golden spirals of the tree of life branch out and fill the background right to the edges, and flowers bloom at their feet. Klimt drew no space here: the figures and the tree are flat, built of patterns, because the drawing was made as the template for a mosaic of small stones.

How is Fulfillment different from The Kiss?

Fulfillment is often compared with Klimt’s best-known painting, titled The Kiss. Both were made in the same years and both show a couple in an embrace, dressed in golden patterns. The difference lies in the point of view: in The Kiss the man bends towards a woman kneeling on a flowering meadow, while here both of them stand, the man turns his back to us and the woman shows us her face.

The purpose differs too. The Kiss is a work in its own right, whereas Fulfillment is part of a larger decoration: it stands among the branches of the tree of life on a dining-room wall, with the dancer facing it.

What is the meaning of the painting?

The name tells you how to read the scene: Fulfillment is the moment when longing ends in an embrace. On the opposite wall of the dining room stands the dancer we call Expectation, alone and tense. The couple on this side is her answer, so anyone who knows both scenes sees in the frieze two chapters of the same love story.

The woman has closed her eyes and gives herself to the embrace, and the man holds her tight. The round floral patterns of her dress and the straight golden shapes of his robe meet in the middle, as if two different worlds were merging into one.

Where are the original and the mosaic today?

The original is one of nine full-size working drawings that Klimt prepared for the mosaic. They belong to the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, which bought them in 1961. They are drawn on tracing paper in graphite, gold, pastel, metals and gouache. Klimt wrote on them in his own hand that the mosaic was to be made in enamel, mother-of-pearl and gold leaf.

The mosaic is in the dining room of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels, which the architect Josef Hoffmann built between 1905 and 1911 for Adolphe Stoclet. The house is privately owned and not open to visitors, and in 2009 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Fulfillment or Expectation: which one should you choose?

On the wall facing Fulfillment stands the dancer from the same frieze, which we offer as a painting titled Expectation. How to choose: for a tender scene of two people, right for a bedroom or as a gift to a couple, take Fulfillment, and for a single mysterious figure take Expectation; both are upright, so you can also hang them as a pair, one on each side of a door or a bed.

Both scenes grow from the same tree. We paint the whole design with its branches and both figures as a painting titled Tree of Life, and the tree alone with its black bird is called Tree of Life (Detail). More about the palace and its frieze is on English Wikipedia.

How is our hand-painted version made?

The original is a working drawing on paper in mixed media with gold, meant as the template for a mosaic; our version is a copy that the painter paints by hand in oils on canvas, following Klimt’s drawing. First he lays in the outlines of the couple and the web of spirals, then in thin layers he paints the face, the hands, the dress with its circles and flowers, and the rectangles on the man’s robe. We paint the golden spirals and the golden parts of the clothing by hand with a brush and gold paint; we do not use gold leaf.

The photographs show two copies we have painted. The first photograph shows one copy in a green-and-gold frame on an easel in our studio, taken from the front, the second photograph the same painting at an angle, and the third photograph from the other side. The fourth photograph shows the frame corner and the heads of the embracing couple close up. In the fifth photograph you see a detail: the man’s dark head, the woman’s face and her hand, gold spirals and the patterned robe, and under the paint even the weave of the canvas. The sixth photograph shows a second copy, unframed, on the white wall of a hallway, the seventh photograph the same at an angle with the doors to the rooms, and the eighth from closer.

Your Fulfillment will be a hand-painted copy, made for your order alone, with visible brushstrokes. A print cannot show the relief of the paint or the way the gold paint lights up when the light in the room changes.

Which size for which wall?

In short: for a narrow wall beside a wardrobe or between doors choose 50 x 80 or 60 x 100 cm, above a bed or a chest of drawers 70 x 115 or 80 x 130 cm, and for a small corner 40 x 65 cm. The sizes available are 40 x 65, 50 x 80, 60 x 100, 70 x 100, 70 x 115, 80 x 130 and 100 x 165 cm.

All sizes are upright. The largest, 100 x 165 cm, belongs on a tall wall, in a stairwell or in a room with a high ceiling. As a painting for the living room, hang it beside the sofa, next to a window or above a low sideboard; above a wide sofa you can hang two paintings instead of one, Fulfillment and Expectation, a few centimetres apart.

Custom size, stretcher and frame

If you need another size, for instance two canvases of the same size for Fulfillment and Expectation, we paint them to measure. Send us the width and height you want and we will send you the price and the time it takes. Every painting from our studio is stretched on a wooden stretcher bar and ready to hang.

Our 3D application helps you choose the moulding: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this motif, from gold and silver to black, white and natural wood, and it is used only for choosing the frame. If you want to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room-placement service.

Delivery and guarantee

We paint every painting to order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days, depending on the size. We ship it stretched and packed for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU without customs duty. Before dispatch you receive a photo of the finished painting for approval; if something is not right, we correct it while the canvas is still with us. Every order is covered by our returns policy.

You will find more of Klimt’s works in the Gustav Klimt gallery, and more about the painter in our article with ten facts about Klimt. If the painting is a gift and you are unsure of the size, choose a gift voucher, so the person receiving it picks the motif and size.

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of Klimt’s Fulfillment?

Klimt’s Fulfillment stands for two lovers coming together after a long wait, which is why it shows a couple in a close embrace. On the opposite wall of the dining room in the Palais Stoclet, a dancer called Expectation answers it. Together the two are often read as two chapters of one story: longing and its fulfilment, surrounded by the branches of the tree of life.

Where is the original of Fulfillment?

The original of Fulfillment is a full-size working drawing kept at the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna; the museum bought Klimt’s drawings for the Stoclet Frieze in 1961. The mosaic laid after the drawing adorns the dining room of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Because the house is privately owned and closed to the public, you cannot visit the mosaic itself.

Is Fulfillment part of the Stoclet Frieze?

Yes, Fulfillment is part of the Stoclet Frieze, the mosaic on the dining-room walls of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Klimt drew nine full-size working drawings for it. The tree of life on one long wall is mirrored on the opposite wall; on one side the dancer stands among the branches, on the other the pair of lovers we call Fulfillment.

Is Fulfillment the same painting as The Kiss?

No, Fulfillment is not the same work as The Kiss, although the two are often compared. Both were made in the same years and show a couple in a golden embrace. In The Kiss the man bends towards a woman kneeling in a meadow; in Fulfillment the man stands with his back to us and the woman rests her face on his shoulder among the spirals of the tree.

Can I hang Fulfillment together with Expectation?

Yes, Fulfillment and Expectation can hang together, because in the Stoclet Frieze they face each other. We offer both in upright sizes from 40 x 65 to 100 x 165 cm, so we can paint them in the same format and give them the same frame. They look lovely on either side of a bed, a door or a sideboard, where the couple and the dancer carry on their conversation across the room.

Is the gold on Fulfillment real gold?

On our Fulfillment the golden spirals and the gold patterns of the clothing are painted by hand with a brush and gold paint; we do not apply gold leaf. That way the gold bonds well with the oil and stays stable for many years. In the fifth photograph you can see close up how the light catches the spirals and the rectangles on the man’s robe.

What technique was Fulfillment made in?

The original of Fulfillment is a working drawing on tracing paper, made in graphite, gold, pastel, metals and gouache as the template for a mosaic. Klimt noted on it instructions for carrying it out in enamel, mother-of-pearl and gold leaf. Ours is an oil painting reproduction on canvas, painted by hand, so it is durable and suits any room of your home.

Which size of Fulfillment should I choose?

For Fulfillment on a bedroom or hallway wall, 60 x 100 cm is a good choice, and for the space above a bed or a sideboard 80 x 130 cm. Because this canvas painting is upright, it fits narrow walls where a wide format has no room. For a tall wall or a stairwell the largest size, 100 x 165 cm, works well, and for a small corner 40 x 65 cm.

Is Fulfillment a good gift?

Yes, Fulfillment makes a beautiful gift for a wedding, an engagement or an anniversary, because it shows a couple embracing, surrounded by gold. Since we paint every painting individually, we can match the size to the recipient’s room, and before dispatch you get a photo of the finished work. If you do not know the size, a gift voucher is the better choice.

• Motif: a pair of lovers embracing, the man in a golden robe with his back to us, the woman with closed eyes, among the golden spirals of the tree of life.
• Original: working drawing for the Stoclet Frieze, 1910–1911, mixed media with gold on paper, MAK, Vienna.
• Ours: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, gold areas in gold paint, in upright sizes or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: you can order Fulfillment and Expectation in the same size and hang them as a pair.