http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/guimera-1528699-beethoven-frieze/

1. Gustav Klimt.
THE BEETHOVEN FRIEZE
1902

2. " Beethoven Frieze "- a series of paintings by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt,
dedicated to the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Paintings ,made in the
form of architectural frieze , were shown for the first time as a part of
"Association of Artists Vienna Secession" XIV exhibition in 1902.
The theme of the frieze is based on Richard Wagner's interpretation of the
9th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven.

4. FIRST LONG SIDE WALL

5. Floating Genii
The yearning for happiness (symbolized by the floating female figures of the first
panel).

6. Suffering Humanity, Knight in Shining Armor
Suffering humanity (kneeling couple and girl standing behind them): their pleas to the
knight in shining armor (the man in golden armor with a sword) as the external driving
force, compassion and ambition (the female figures behind the knight) as internal
motivation moving him to take up the fight for happiness.

8. NARROW WALL

9. The Hostile Forces

10. The hostile forces. The giant
Typhoeus, against whom
even the gods battle in vain
(the monster with mother-of-
pearl eyes extending across
the entire front wall with his
blue wings and snake-like
appendages); his daughters,
the three gorgons (the three
women standing to the left of
Typhoeus). Sickness,
madness, death (the mask-
like female heads above the
gorgon heads).

11. Lasciviousness, Wantonness,
Intemperance
Lasciviousness, wantonness,
intemperance (the group of
three women to the right of
Typhoeus. Intemperance
wears a conspicuously
ornamented blue skirt with
applications of mother-of-pearl,
bronze rings, etc.). Gnawing
grief (the woman cowering on
the right in the picture). The
yearnings and desires of
humankind fly past them.

14. SECOND LONG WALL

16. Floating Genii
Poetry
The yearning for happiness finds
appeasement in poetry (the
female figure with the lyre). An
empty segment in the frieze
follows. This is where broad
openings in the wall revealed a
view of the Beethoven stature in
the 1902 exhibition.

17. The Arts, Choir of Angels, and Embracing Couple

18. The Arts
The arts lead us into an ideal
realm, the only place where we
can find pure joy, pure
happiness, pure love (the five Choir of Angels
women, of which the upper Choir of angels in paradise. "Joy, thou
three point to the last scene gleaming spark divine. This kiss to the whole
illustrating Schiller's Ode to world!" (concluding scene with women's choir
Joy). and embracing couple).

21. ..".Frieze" occupies three walls and is about 34 meters length .
The left composition "Yearning for Happiness", represented the golden knight, who is
going against the forces of evil, with an accompany by two female figures ,symbolizing
the victory (Glory) with a wreath of the winner and Compassion.
The central composition "Hostile forces"- is a force of evil. It consists of the several
parts: Tryphon is the central huge figure , three Gorgons are to his left , symbolizing
sickness, madness and death, and female figures symbolizing lust, intemperance and
lust are to his right . The lonely figure of a woman, symbolizing the gnawing anguish of
humanity is apart from them .
Composition on the right wall - "Art, Chorus of Angels Paradise " also consists of
several parts: figures symbolizing joy and wonderful Spark of God
end