Jurisprudence, 1900-1907 By Gustav Klimt Editorial Image

At the eighteenth Secession exhibition, Klimt showed the last of his three University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings, Jurisprudence. At the top of the canvas in the background are three female figures representing Justice, Law and Truth, while behind them are the seemingly decapitated heads of judges. The old man in the foreground, head bowed and entwined by an octopus's tentacles, represents the victim, accused by the three naked females. It is conceivable that Klimt was thinking of his own position while creating this work.