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What the painting shows
Moving Water by Klimt is an 1898 oil painting that depicts nude female figures drifting through a dark, rushing current. Gustav Klimt fills the scene with diagonal motion, using deep tones of purple, brown, and violet to suggest the depth of the water.
In the lower right, a woman with long auburn hair reclines along the water’s flow, resting with closed eyes. Toward the upper left, another nude figure curves her back and extends her arm against the current, her reddish hair trailing behind her. A third figure floats higher in the background, completing the diagonal band of bodies. Down in the far right corner, a dark, shadowy creature with round eyes watches from below, right next to Klimt’s red signature.
The story behind it
Gustav Klimt painted the canvas in 1898 under the German title Bewegte Wasser, which is also written as Bewegtes Wasser. The work shares visual ties with his landscapes through its treatment of fluid movement, yet its symbolic subject places it firmly among his allegories. The canvas measures 52 centimeters high by 65 centimeters wide. It demonstrates his fascination with aquatic scenes and floating human forms during this period of his career.
Where to see it
Moving Water is currently held in a private collection. Because the painting belongs to a private owner instead of a public museum or gallery, it is not on regular display for visitors. Unless the owner loans the canvas to a temporary exhibition, you cannot view the original work in person.
Questions about Moving Water
When did Klimt paint Moving Water?
Gustav Klimt painted Moving Water in 1898. The oil painting dates to the period when Klimt was developing his symbolic approach to figures in motion. Known in German as Bewegte Wasser or Bewegtes Wasser, the work highlights his growing focus on aquatic themes and flowing compositions at the close of the nineteenth century.
Who owns Moving Water by Klimt?
A private collector owns Moving Water by Klimt. The identity of the individual collector is not shared in public records, and the artwork is not housed within a public museum. Because it remains in private hands, the 1898 painting is generally inaccessible to museum visitors unless its owner decides to lend it to an institution for a temporary loan.
