Forest Floor

This work is part of a series of three small-scale nature studies created in 1881/82, in which the almost 20-year-old artist explored landscape depictions as a genre for the first time. All three renderings are characterized by a sense of absolute tranquility and showcase nature standing still in the moment of capture. Focusing on a narrow section of landscape, Klimt developed new principles of space and composition. The slightly sloping forest floor was executed using delicate brushstrokes and fine color grading: the soil with its decaying leaves was rendered in warm brown tones and the mossy growth interspersed with plants in light shades of green, with a delicate branch rising up on the right edge of the depiction. With his skilled accentuation of the incidence of light, Klimt managed to achieve an impressive spatial effect even in this miniature format of 10 x 8 cm. Seven years later, from 1898, and inspired by his sojourns in the Salzkammergut region, Klimt once again addressed the topic of landscapes, before discovering the square as the format of choice for his nature depictions in 1899.