At the time when Klimt created some of the most famous portraits and also several landscapes, during 1912 until 1918, he also worked on various other themes.

Strikingly, there are no religious subjects although he chose meaningful titles such as "Death and Life" or "Adam and Eve". These are themes which relate to the very basic questions of our existence and they show how densely woven, how irresistibly rooted the erotic power manifests itself, anchored in our subconscious.

Leaning onto each other and embracing each other, these figures melt into their ornamental surroundings. Sometimes there are blossoms and flowery colour spots. Sometimes there are Japanese motives which may be identified only when looking closely at the painting.

The sizes of these figure paintings are large, and the effects they produce upon the onlooker are most extraordinary. The few very large many-figure compositions such as "Death and Life", "The Virgin" or "The Bride" pose a fundamental question for the artist. He seeks an answer to the fundamental question of the purpose of art, and his answer is masterly, even if his last paintings remain unfinished.