Moving Water

Moving Water

The sensual dark oil on canvas portrait, Moving Water, illustrates one of Gustav Klimt's classic styles intertwining a realist technique accompanied by an impressionist base. The painting illustrates the presence of an array of beautiful woman, flowing beneath the water as they mix into the natural elements below.

The portrait, Moving Water, resembles Gustav Klimt's previous drawing Blood of Fish (1898). The drawing is of four women with their hand flowing within the current as one, under the water accompanied by a fish. The appealing drawing is believed to be the influence behind Moving Water; as both pieces of work showcase nude females engulfed in a body of water. Moving Water illustrates four women as they move through currents beneath the surface, depicting their natural anatomy as they blend as one with the under water creatures. The painting is immensely blurry and blends shapes and colours together as one. However the viewer is able to depict the outline of their bodies within the array of structures in the painting.

A critical element to witness within the piece is the upside down man located on the top left of the canvas. The man holds his hands against his face, as he stares directly at the lively women floating through the water. The man holds a similar style to artist Edvard Munch's painting, The Scream. Both pieces depict a man with his mouth open holding the sides of their face. It is believed that Klimt was influenced by the artist's work and his modern style. The man portrayed on the canvas adds a darker touch to the piece, as a gloomy emotion over comes the canvas as the viewer wonders what is occurring.

Gustav Klimt was prominently known for his portraits depicting the female body in all its forms and elements. The prominent artist was fascinated by the natural structure of women, through their curves, textures and life. An array of his work was spend studying their presence, and is depicted in most of his artwork. Moving Water encompasses the harmony of the women as they find their place in the water, gently arching their body as they are filled with the motion of the current. They are able to feel the water against every part of their body, blending their self into the nature of the environment.

The artist incorporated an array of techniques in the oil on canvas painting, using linear brush strokes as the colours are mixed together as one. The women's warmed coloured hair adds to the feel of the work, with a strong red similarly to a mermaid. The soft glimpse of blue and green throughout the work reminds the viewer that the women are submerged under the water, while allowing them to imagine the underwater paradise the women call home. Klimt's extraordinary style captures the attention of many, witnessing a soft canvas painted with an array of stories.