2/internal/media/dispatcher/4824/fullHalf-figure of a Nymph (“Vivien”)1896[Fernand Khnopff]Fernand KhnopffPlaster, painted, on a gilded wooden baseIn the work of the Belgian Symbolist Fernand Khnopff we often encounter female figures and mystical hybrid creatures, swathed in an enigmatic and mysterious mood. Here we meet Vivien, a mythical enchantress from the legend of King Arthur. She stole the magical shell from the wizard Merlin and is shown holding it triumphantly in this sculpture. With half-closed eyes, seductively parted lips, and a mane of wavy red hair, the beautiful nymph is a true femme fatale. In fin-de-siècle Vienna, this type of “dangerous temptress,” who manipulated men with her erotic charms and often caused their downfall, was a popular subject in both art and literature.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3225/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/4863/fullCalm Water1894[Fernand Khnopff]Fernand KhnopffOil on canvas The pond is utterly still. Isolated trees line the green bank, yet the artist directs our gaze to the water and not to the treetops. We can only identify the surroundings from the reflection. Fernand Khnopff sought to visualize a world unexplored by humanity. As an exponent of Symbolism, the Belgian artist’s depictions of ponds and glades were intended to make a deeper reality visible. The water’s surface becomes a metaphor of the unfathomable human psyche: it reflects the image like a mirror, but it is impossible to see into the pond’s depths. Khnopff’s works were shown at the first exhibitions of the Vienna Secession. Their subliminal messages fascinated the group of artists around Gustav Klimt.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/7541/rdf