Gustav Klimt, born in 1862 in Austria, was best known for his love of experimenting with different media to create his powerful and bold works, which were often disgusted by the public for the erotic and expressive themes of his pieces. Klimt was the first president of the Vienna Secession, founded in 1897 by several artists who resigned from traditional art institutions to protest the prevailing conservatism and to unite artists who also used non-traditional media to create art. Klimt is said to have created the “Art Nouveaux” style. “The Tree of Life was created between 1905 and 1909. It exists in two forms; as a mural on a dining room wall at the Palais Stoclet, Brussels, Belgium (not open to the public) and as a working sketch at the Museum fuer Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts) in Vienna, Austria. This piece was commissioned by Stoclet Frieze, an art lover. For this piece Klimt used mixed techniques. “Tempera, watercolor, gold paint, silver-bronze, pastel, pencil, opaque white, gold leaf, and silver leaf on paper…” (California State University, East Bay, n.d.). The painting measures 195 x 102 centimetres. Klimt used a bright and vibrant color palette, which draws viewers into the painting and makes them feel part of it. The main focus of this work appears to be on the tree itself, although it competes with the large amount of detail it is surrounded by. At first glance, “The Tree of Life” simply appears to be an abstract painting of a tree. In reality the theme of this work is considered narrative art. The symbolism of this tree appears in scripture and in many cultures around the world. “The Tree of Life” is open to many interpretations depending on each culture. It conveys the circle of life and the connection of all three worlds; the underground, the earth and the sky. “There is also a show of femininity and masculinity in the tree. The tree is able to bear fruit and flowers, which is the demonstration of female fertility while the phallic symbol, which means union, shows the male side” (The Meaning Behind the Klimt Tree of Life, 2011). The black bird represents death in many cultures while the tree itself and the eyes included in the painting could be interpreted as symbols of wisdom. Throughout his career Klimt created several narrative works of art with religious meanings, but his art also included landscapes and human forms. , mostly women because of his love for women.