Gustav Klimt – The Swamp

The Swamp is one of Gustav Klimt’s early square landscapes, painted in 1900 or 1901 during his summers at the Attersee: a still, dark pond fills most of the canvas, mirroring pale blue light and the dark trees, with tall reeds at the bottom right and a strip of bright green meadow and a row of tree trunks beyond the water. The original is in a private collection. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas, in four square sizes from 60 x 60 to 90 x 90 cm or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.

The Swamp – Gustav Klimt

What does the painting show?

Almost the whole square is water. A small, still pond lies before you, so calm that it works like a dark mirror: pale blue light from above floats on its surface, and the shapes of the trees sink into it as soft, dark reflections. Here and there a few small orange glints catch the eye, like the last warm light of the day.

At the bottom right, tall reeds and grasses rise out of the water and lean slightly, the only sharp lines in the scene. Beyond the pond a narrow strip of bright green meadow shines in the light, and behind it stands a row of dark tree trunks that closes the view at the top. There is almost no sky – Klimt keeps us down at the water’s edge, looking into the pond.

A pond from Klimt’s Attersee summers

The Swamp belongs to the years when Klimt spent his summers at the Attersee, the lake in Upper Austria that became the great subject of his landscapes. It was painted in 1900 or 1901 – the sources give both years – and it is one of his early square landscapes, made long before the bright orchards and flower gardens of his later summers.

Instead of a famous view, here he chose a quiet, quite ordinary corner of nature – a marshy pond with reeds – and looked at it closely, almost as if he were studying the surface of the water itself. In English the painting is also known as The Marshy Pond.

Why does the painting feel so dreamlike?

Because almost everything in it is reflection and shadow. The dark water takes up most of the square, the trees appear twice – once standing, once upside down and blurred in the pond – and the light seems to come from below as much as from above. Without a horizon or a sky to hold on to, the eye floats over the surface, just as the light does.

The colours add to the mood: deep browns and blue-greys in the water, the cool pale blue of the reflected light, the fresh green strip of meadow and the few warm orange sparks. It is a quiet, slightly mysterious landscape, made for people who prefer stillness to bright colour, and it changes with the light in your room: in the evening the dark water deepens, by day the pale reflections come forward.

Where is the original?

The original, painted in oil on canvas and 80 cm square, is in a private collection, so it cannot be seen in a public museum. You will find it in the list of Klimt’s paintings on Wikipedia under both its names, The Swamp and The Marshy Pond, dated 1900/1901.

Because the original hangs in a private home, a hand-painted version is the only way for most people to have this quiet pond in their own room. Our version is not a print: we paint it for you, by hand, and our 80 x 80 cm size matches the size of Klimt’s canvas exactly.

The Swamp among Klimt’s landscapes

From the same early Attersee years comes On Lake Attersee, where turquoise water fills the whole square in daylight – a bright counterpart to the dark pond. Forest of Beech Trees and Pine Forest II lead into the woods, and The Park is a wall of dense green leaves.

Choose The Swamp if you like calm, dark, reflective colours and a slightly mysterious mood; if you want light and summer brightness, On Lake Attersee is the cheerful choice. Hung side by side in the same size, the dark pond and the bright lake make an interesting pair. More about Klimt’s life is on Wikipedia’s Klimt page.

How do we paint The Swamp by hand?

The painter starts with the large dark masses: the pond, the band of trees at the top and the shadows inside the water, laid in thin layers of brown, blue-grey and deep green. Then come the lighter areas – the pale reflections on the surface and the bright strip of meadow beyond the water.

The last layers bring the scene to life: the reeds at the bottom right, painted stroke by stroke with a fine brush, the soft edges of the reflections, and the few small orange glints on the water. A printed oil painting reproduction loses the depth of these dark layers and turns them into a flat surface; painted by hand, the dark water keeps its depth and the light on it really seems to float. Every painting is a hand-painted copy made for your order, so no two are exactly the same.

The original contains no gold, so neither does our version: we work in oil colours only.

Which size for which wall?

In short: 60 x 60 or 70 x 70 cm for a smaller wall, a hallway, a reading corner or a bedroom; 80 x 80 or 90 x 90 cm above a chest of drawers, a bed or a small sofa. The 80 x 80 cm size is the size of the original.

All four sizes are square, just like Klimt’s canvas, so nothing of the pond is cut off. Because the painting is dark and calm, it looks best where you can see it from a few steps away and where the light changes during the day. As a painting for the living room, 90 x 90 cm above a sideboard or a two-seat sofa gives it enough presence; two smaller paintings side by side also work well as a pair. Other sizes can be asked for as made to measure.

Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 to 160 cm above the floor; over furniture, leave 20 to 30 cm between the top of the furniture and the lower edge of the canvas. A dark painting like this one glows best on a light wall, so white, cream or pale grey walls suit it most.

Custom size, stretcher and frame

If you need a size that is not in the list, write to us: we paint it to measure, ideally square or close to square, so the pond keeps its proportions. Send us the width and height you want and we will tell you the price and the time needed. Every painting we make is stretched on a wooden stretcher frame and is ready to hang when it arrives.

To choose the moulding, try our 3D application: it shows all our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood side by side – the application is only for choosing the frame. To see the painting on your own wall, use our separate room placement service. A thin dark wood or black frame suits the deep colours of the water; a soft gold frame warms up the orange glints.

Delivery and guarantee

We paint every painting to order in our studio in Slovenia, so please allow 15 to 45 days, depending on the size. It travels stretched and well protected, framed if you ordered a frame, and within the EU there are no customs. Before we send it, you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve; if something is not right, we correct it while the canvas is still in our workshop. Our returns policy applies to every order.

For a gift when you are unsure of the size, choose our gift voucher. You can see more of Klimt’s work in our Gustav Klimt gallery and read more about him in 10 interesting facts about Gustav Klimt.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the original The Swamp by Klimt?

The original is in a private collection, so it is not on show in a public museum and most people know it only from reproductions. It is painted in oil on canvas and measures 80 cm square – exactly the size of our 80 x 80 cm version, which we paint by hand to order.

When did Klimt paint The Swamp?

Klimt painted it in 1900 or 1901, during the years he spent his summers at the Attersee in Upper Austria. It is one of his early square landscapes, made long before his famous gold portraits and the bright flower gardens of his later summers. Today the original is in a private collection.

What does Klimt’s The Swamp show?

It shows a still, dark pond filling most of the square, reflecting pale blue light and the dark trees. Tall reeds rise at the bottom right, a strip of bright green meadow and a row of tree trunks close the view at the top, and a few small orange glints shine on the water.

Is The Swamp the same painting as The Marshy Pond?

Yes, The Marshy Pond is another English name for the same painting; in German it is called Der Sumpf. All three names refer to Klimt’s square view of a still pond with reeds from 1900 or 1901, measuring 80 x 80 cm and today in a private collection.

Why is the water in The Swamp so dark?

Because the pond reflects the dark trees around it, and Klimt painted those reflections in deep browns, blue-greys and greens. The pale blue light and the few orange glints stand out against this darkness, which gives the painting its calm, dreamlike mood. In our version these dark layers are built up by hand, so they keep their depth.

Which size of The Swamp suits my wall?

For a smaller wall, a hallway or a bedroom choose 60 x 60 or 70 x 70 cm. Above a chest of drawers, a bed or a small sofa, 80 x 80 or 90 x 90 cm works best. The 80 x 80 cm size equals the original, and other sizes can be painted to measure.

Which room suits The Swamp?

It suits a study, a bedroom, a reading corner or a calm living room – anywhere you want a quiet, reflective mood rather than bright colour. As a canvas painting it looks best on a light wall, white, cream or pale grey, with natural wood and soft lighting. Its dark tones also balance a bright, modern interior.

Is there gold in The Swamp?

No, there is no gold in this landscape. Klimt painted it in natural colours – browns, blue-greys, greens, pale blue and a few touches of orange – and its glow comes from the reflections on the water, not from metal leaf. We therefore paint our version in oil colours only, without gold paint.

Is The Swamp a good gift?

Yes, for someone who loves quiet nature, ponds and lakes, or Klimt’s early landscapes rather than his famous gold. It is calm and a little mysterious, so it suits people who prefer stillness to bright colour. If you are unsure of the size, choose 80 x 80 cm, the size of the original, or give a voucher.

• Subject: a still, dark pond with reflections of light and trees, tall reeds, a strip of green meadow and a row of tree trunks.
• Original: 1900–1901, oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cm, private collection.
• Our version: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in four square sizes or made to measure.
• Good to know: before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval.