The construction of the Burgtheater was just about to be completed in 1886 but it had yet to be decorated. Gustav, his brother Ernst, and Franz Matsch were commissioned to paint scenes from the history of theater. They were supposed to paint these scenes on both the tympanum and the stairway ceilings of the newly constructed theater. 

   While painting, however, Klimt developed a different style compared to his two colleagues. At that time, he became interested in realism so much that he did his paintings with photographic precision.  No doubt the style of Hans Makart, a great painter of that era,  was a great influence to Klimt.
 
   This realism also stemmed from his childhood where he would spend hours studying antique vases in the Imperial Museum.  In fact many of his latter works show vases painted with so much detail. 

   The Theater in Taormina, which adorned the Burgtheater, presents such precision, as does the painting of the Burgtheater itself which he later painted.  The items to watch for in this painting are the detail of the carpets; the pillars of the building on the right; and the hazy mountain in the distance.  All were done with so much realism you'd think it was taken by a camera. 
 
    The detail of the carpets is so exquisite. Notice how he is able to maintain the weave despite the perspective.  The pillars tend to shimmer, reflecting light, as if there was something cylindrical actually in front of you.  And the mountain in the background tends to vanish and blend into nothingness, very much like viewing a landscape on a hazy day.  These, Klimt had to use his imagination, because the Theater at Taormina was in ruins when he painted it.