Gustav Klimt and the frieze of Palazzo Stoclet
Something incredible happens in Brussels in 1905. The architect Josef Hoffmann was one of the main exponents leading the Secession movement and it was he who the financier and collector Adoplhe Stoclet chose as the architect of his private residence. Thus Palazzo Stoclet was born, a total work of art, a surprise for the inhabitants of Brussels who will find themselves a piece of Vienna transplanted into the Belgian capital.
The cold geometry characterizes the exterior of the residence, representing a novel element for a city in which the curved and sinuous lines of Art Nuveau triumph. But the real wonder is in the heart of the residence, the dining room entrusted to the Viennese Gustav Klimt. The absolute protagonist of the precious environment will be the “Palazzo Stoclet Frieze”: the Tree of Life and inside it set “the Wait” on the left and “the Embrace” on the right.
Klimt is one of the best-known exponents of the Secession, a controversial figure in early twentieth-century Vienna who alternates raw naturalism and abstract decorativeism. His works were first commissioned and then rejected and criticized by the University of Vienna, because they were considered obscene. His very personal and unmistakable style is characterized by a high level of preciousness obtained through the use of different materials (gold and glass). The use of gold leaf will be the protagonist in his most famous works, inspired by a trip to Ravenna in 1903 and by the memories of his apprenticeship with his goldsmith father.
His is a painting that aims at a refined expression, rich in literary and symbolic overtones and an acute sensuality. The unlimited economic possibilities of Adolphe Stoclet thrilled Klimt who, free to express himself, worked side by side with the artisans in the dining room of Palazzo Stoclet. Room made with marble floor and geometric lines; inserts in black leather inlaid with gold and rosewood on which the large mosaic panels stand out. Inside the Frieze of Palazzo Stoclet, the Tree of Life is a connecting element between the rigidity of the " Waiting" and the warm feeling that pervades the "Embrace", a powerful symbol of the entire representation.
“ The garden of art and love which, unlike the one overlooked by Palazzo Stoclet, would never wither”. This is how Josef Hoffman defines it, a tree with a thousand branches that intersect, forming clouds and waves, on which flowers and Egyptian eyes stand out
To the left of the Tree of Life is L'Attesa, a work of brilliant impact and great beauty. A female figure with an unnatural posture that turns her gaze towards the narration of the frieze; the woman's hairstyle, clothes and face immediately refer to the Egyptian world and the figurative style of that distant world. On the right we find the Embrace which represents the culmination of the narrative. Two lovers who hold each other in a passionate embrace full of feeling, the moment in which the couple unites after the Wait. The works are created by Bottega Tifernate in pictography on linen canvas.
Pictography is a technique created and patented by Bottega Tifernate that combines innovation with tradition. A processing method that is the result of research work lasting 30 years and which is renewed, day after day through collaborations with the most important museums in the world.
Technically, the priming (plastering) of the canvas takes place hot, in multiple layers, with Bologna plaster and natural glue, prepared in a bain-marie. The workmanship, with oil colours, gives a unique brilliance that goes perfectly with gold. Gold that is applied in 18 kt leaf, completely by hand and finished with a scalpel to recreate every detail. The relief parts are created hot, with a mixture of plaster and natural glue. All this allows you to recreate not a simple copy but a work of art capable of arousing emotion.