The portrayal of mermaid-like hybrid water beings was highly popular in the art of symbolism. Themes such as Odysseus and the sirens, the neirads, Ophelia, and Melusina provided an opportunity to convey seductive female beauties who demonstrate the nakedness of the female body with open eroticism. Mermaid-like water beings which loll and drift in the water with abandon were first portrayed by Klimt in 1898 in the small-format painting "Moving Water." A drawn variation of this painting was published that same year in the March edition of the magazine "Ver Sacrum" under the title "Fish Blood." The picture "Girlfriends"—also known under the title "Water Serpents I"—is another unusually small work that was also completed on precious parchment material. The majority of the work was completed in 1904. In later years Klimt only made very miniscule additions before presenting it in Galerie Miethke in 1907. The painting was acquired from this gallery by industrialist Karl Wittgenstein, and for a sum that would otherwise be paid for one of Klimt's large portraits.
In this work, Klimt masterfully uses a large variety of decorative shapes derived from animal and plant motifs. Despite its small size, Klimt enriches the painting with a wealth of different graphically designed, graceful ornamentation, which give the parchment an oriental handwritten character like a Persian miniature. In terms of the two mermaid beings, Klimt clearly took ideas from depictions by the Dutch Art Nouveau painter Jan Toorop. One of these paintings—"Fatalism", which was presented in 1901 in the Vienna Secession—may have been a direct inspiration. Like Klimt's version, slim female bodies with overly long, angular limbs draw the viewer's attention.
- Title: Friends (Water serpants)
- Creator: Gustav Klimt
- Date Created: 1904/1907
- Location Created: Austria
- Physical Dimensions: 50 x 20 cm
- Type: Painting
- Rights: Österreichische Galerie Belvedere / Image by Google
- Medium: Pencil on parchment with watercolor opaque colors, silver bronze and gold bronze
DecorArts is a professional wall art company located in California.
Each of our prints is proudly designed and constructed in the USA, right in our workshop. We are dedicated to delivering the finest quality, craftsmanship, and customer service with each and every order. With giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
Want to give the best gift ever? We invite you to browse our Personalized Art Collection, our bestselling collection on Amazon.com. Heartfelt and sure to leave a lasting impression, our personalized artworks are a huge hit at weddings, anniversaries, reunions, and more. Just take a look at the comments left by our happy customers!
We also offer a wide selection of iconic classic paintings -- from Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper to Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night to Hokusai’s The Great Wave of Kanagawa -- all stunningly reproduced with giclée printing technology. Browse our gallery of curated masterpieces, where you’re sure to find your favorites or discover just the right one for your home, office, gift recipient, etc. Have an inquiry? Need some suggestions? Shoot us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
- Any image that is to be printed as a giclée needs to be created at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch (DPI). This is to ensure that the final print has the sharpest detail and lacks any of the fragmentation that can occur with images less than 300 DPI.
- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
Our canvas art works arrive ready to hang right out the box! We will affix a sturdy sawtooth hanger to the back of your canvas and include in your package: two screws, two nails, a pair of gloves, and a gradienter (small water level to ensure art is hung straight).
Framed:
Our framed arts are specially designed for both classic art and personalized artwork. Choose from a variety of frames for the perfect one to suit the style of your home.
- Mounted on back flannel so as not to scuff your walls
- Artwork arrives READY TO HANG. Hanging accessories come complimentary
Our frames are specifically chosen to complement each artwork. However, we will gladly accommodate if you'd prefer a different frame. Contact us at customerservice@decorarts.com for inquiries.
