Water Serpents I, c.1904/07 Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

We create our paintings with museum quality and covering the highest academic standards. Once we get your order, it will be entirely hand-painted with oil on canvas. All the materials we use are the highest level, being totally artist graded painting materials and linen canvas.

We will add 1.6" (4 cm) additional blank canvas all over the painting for stretching.

High quality and detailing in every inch are time consuming. The reproduction of Gustav Klimt also needs time to dry in order to be completely ready for shipping, as this is crucial to not be damaged during transportation.
Based on the size, level of detail and complexity we need 8-9 weeks to complete the process.

In case the delivery date needs to be extended in time, or we are overloaded with requests, there will be an email sent to you sharing the new timelines of production and delivery.

TOPofART wants to remind you to keep patient, in order to get you the highest quality, being our mission to fulfill your expectations.

We not stretch and frame our oil paintings due to several reasons:
Painting reproduction is a high quality expensive product, which we cannot risk to damage by sending it being stretched.
Also, there are postal restrictions, regarding the size of the shipment.
Additionally, due to the dimensions of the stretched canvas, the shipment price may exceed the price of the product itself.

You can stretch and frame your painting in your local frame-shop.

Once the painting Water Serpents I is ready and dry, it will be shipped to your delivery address. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube.

We offer free shipping as well as paid express transportation services.

After adding your artwork to the shopping cart, you will be able to check the delivery price using the Estimate Shipping and Tax tool.

The paintings we create are only of museum quality. Our academy graduated artists will never allow a compromise in the quality and detail of the ordered painting. TOPofART do not work, and will never allow ourselves to work with low quality studios from the Far East. We are based in Europe, and quality is our highest priority.

This piece signals a return to elaborate symbolism with its mythological theme and rich gilding. But these intertwined mermaids are more than just another nod to Klimt's siren motifs. They stand out as femmes fatales in a moment of orgasmic lesbian love. Unlike the usual voyeuristic male fantasy, this depiction invites speculation about Klimt's personal fascinations. The cheeky fish peeking in from the right could even symbolize the male voyeur.

Similar to his other water-themed works like "Goldfisch" (1901-02), "Mermaids (Whitefish)" (1899), and "Flowing Water" (1889), this piece evokes a sense of primordial life forces through its swirling imagery. The magnificent backdrop of "Goldfish" is revisited here with golden fronds swaying against a dark watery expanse. Klimt’s trip to Ravenna and its Byzantine mosaics, first reflected in "Life: A Battle (The Golden Knight)," comes to full fruition here. The piece features intricate pattern blocks layered into sections of floating, sperm-like vegetation. Adding a sardonic twist, the artistic climax is the burst of the creatures' golden hair, meticulously detailed with striations of gold leaf.