Hope I

She gazes directly at the viewer and has a great mass of hair with a crown of forget-me-not flowers placed on her head.

[1] The scene is beautiful upon first glance but once the viewer's eyes move to the background, deathlike figures become noticeably present.

The dark figures in the background swirl around the nude female seeming to blend the idea of life, death, and rebirth.

[3] The viewer can notice the monster's teeth along with its claw like hand that is located directly across from the woman's stomach and pelvic region.

The sea monster has a large tail that wraps around the feet of the woman as if trying to capture her and continues out of the frame.

The skull represents death and decay while the three figures in the background symbolise disease, old age, and madness.

[3] The skull behind the woman could be a reference to the art historical tradition of memento mori, which serves as a reminder that death is unavoidable.

This tradition focuses on the idea that you can be thriving with life (such as the nude woman is) but tomorrow could bring the possibility of death.

Gustav Klimt was born in Austria in 1862 and at the age of fourteen received a grant to study at the Kunstgewerbeschule (The Vienna School of Art).

This "new woman" was a shock to the people of Austria but it is also one of the reasons Gustav Klimt became such a well-known, successful artist that made a great impact in the world of art history.