Water Castle

Today is World Water Day, an annual United Nations observance day highlighting the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. So let's look at this stunning landscape created by the master of the Vienna Secession, Gustav Klimt!

Klimt often drew inspiration for his landscape paintings during his summer retreats. Between 1900 and 1916, he and his friend Emilie Flöge, a Viennese fashion designer, spent their summers near Lake Attersee close to Salzburg. During these retreats, Klimt created eleven lake-themed landscape paintings, including four variations featuring Kammer Chateau. Water Castle is one such work. 

For Klimt, these escapes to nature provided a respite from Vienna's cultural and political tensions. He painted exclusively on square canvases, focusing on tranquil scenes of trees, flowers, and building facades across the lake, deliberately omitting human figures. In Water Castle, Klimt used the subdued tones characteristic of his earlier works. The painting's striking allure lies in the contrast between the solid forms of the objects in the upper portion and their shimmering reflections in the water below.

P.S. If you'd like to stay inspired by Klimt's works all year, be sure to check out our undated Vienna Secession Planner—available now in our online shop.  :) 

P.P.S. Today's artist is one of the most iconic in art history. Here are 5 fact you need to know about Gustav Klimt!