Houses at Unterach on the Attersee 1916

Gustav Klimt built up this painting of houses at Unterach on the Attersee from rhythmic dabs of green, red, and blue. I imagine him working en plein air, squinting in the sun, trying to capture the way the light bounces off the water and shimmers through the trees. The way he’s layered the paint, almost like mosaic tiles, gives the scene a kind of vibrating energy. You can see that the paint is quite thin in some areas, allowing the canvas texture to peek through, while in other spots it's built up, creating a gentle relief. See those small gestures around the trees? They are not just describing nature. They are also an expression, a feeling that I understand. Klimt, like many painters, was deeply influenced by the Impressionists but took it in his own direction. It reminds me of Van Gogh's landscapes, but with a Viennese twist. Painting is such a generous act, don’t you think? Artists share their way of seeing and feeling with the world. They inspire each other across time. Each stroke is a conversation.