Unterach on Attersee, 1915 by Gustav Klimt

Unterach on Attersee, 1915 by Gustav Klimt
Unterach on Attersee, 1915 by Gustav Klimt

In Unterach on Attersee, 1915, Klimt tackles a longer panoramic shot of the village of Unterach from far out on the lake during the same holiday. The work was probably painted using opera glasses, one of Klimt's favorite devices for capturing distant scenes, and consequently the proportions are noticeably different to other works. The village, although perceived at a distance, is, in reality, close to the foreground in order to stress the majestic form of the mountain side, which towers up the picture frame. The effect is broken by a small chink of sky, another rare feature in Klimt landscapes, which typically zoom in to small squared sections of interest.

The works of Cezanne and Van Gogh appear to have inspired the variegated blue and green brushwork that sweeps across the surface of Unterach on Attersee, but the application of larger-than-normal strokes helps to accentuate this long-range effect. The inclusion of a swathe of green meadow across the central band breaks the all-important central line of vision. This is the eye's point of entry so the band forces the viewer to look alternatively down to the village and up to the sky - careful manipulation of the visual esthetic. This is a world of tranquillity, now separated from the viewer by the implied expanse of water.