The concept of the gate is very attractive to the artist. This painting is the first one in the series of paintings entitled "The Gates".
The gate can be an entrance it can be an exit and it can be both. It can be open or closed. For one the gate may be wide open  and for another one it can be closed, yet another one may need to have a key to enter or exit. One may stay in front of the gate and wonder what is beyond . There may be some who are afraid to cross the threshold . The Gate can be physical material  but also it can be mental and spiritual.