Field of Poppies

This Klimt painting features a frenzy of reds and greens to produce an impactful artwork

The busy patchwork of Klimt's Malcesine on Lake Garda plus the floral backgrounds of The Kiss and elements of monumental The Stoclet Frieze are drawn together in this stunning garden painting. Klimt's Field of Poppies has become one of his most reproduced of all artworks, predominantly for the colour and simplicity which is entirely accessible in the mainstream.

Flowers have been used by artists for centuries due to the inherent qualities that they can add to artwork, such as the feel of nature, the ability to mould them into a precise still life study, or the bright colour which can dominate the canvas.

There is also often a symbolic nature to flowers, which would be of use to Klimt on many occasions. For example, he would use them in Death and Life to represent the latter.

There are clear influences of impressionism and pointilism to be found in this overwhelming artwork where the eye is feasted to colour as Monet had himself achieved with his own landscape paintings.

Whilst The Sunflower would capture a single focal point, Klimt would in others crop an area of his wild flowers and allow them to spread across the canvas without particular concern for the overall composition.

There is also a clear contrast to the most famous flower artist - Georgia O'Keeffe - whose artworks like Red Cannas, Jimson Weed and Black Iris III would not only add specific focal points, but in fact leave the paintings with no other detail at all.