This painting is based on a drawing I did from a Gustav Klimt work while on vacation with my parents in Vienna. I believe you have to travel there to realize how much Klimt’s artwork dominates the spirit of the city. It is a beautiful place with amazing boulevards, museums, parks, and buildings.

We were there during Christmas so the entire city was decorated. My mother and I went to the Christmas village and had spice mulled wine. The city shut down for three entire days during the holidays and I realized then how much more serious Europeans took Christmas than people in the States. They are far less “religious;” but they value creating time to be with family and friends over shopping and sports events.

One of my most memorable moments was my father and I seeing brass plaques with the names of Jewish families embedded in the sidewalk outside our apartment building. We were staying in a very old set of rooms and it was both jarring and beautiful to see the names of the families our abode was stolen from. I highly recommend watching “Woman in Gold” which is the story of Maria Altmann and how her aunt’s portraits, and other works, were stolen from her family during the terror of WWII. That movie encapsulates much of the grandeur and history of that city and tells a tale that all should hear.

My painting uses the figure from a Klimt painting with goldfish, but in mine I have changed the background to a dragon.