Can't find the painting that you are looking for? No problem! We can paint any painting in any size, even if it's not listed on our website. Simply make a request and we will get back to you with a quote within a few hours.
Optional - receive your painting ready to hang. Note we are only able to ship framed paintings up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached, the framing option is automatically disabled. If ordered without a frame the painting will arrive rolled inside a protective tube with an extra 1.5" white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it in any local frame shop.
Gustav Klimt painted Hope II during his Golden Era phase, between the years of 1907 and 1908. Up to this point in art history, portraits of pregnant women and pregnancy on oils were rare. This - along with the ornamental style created with oil and gold leaf filled with dense Byzantine symbologies - makes this a unique and quite exquisite piece of art. The piece is squared and the model is portrayed on the center of the canvas, looking to the left-hand side. There are researches that suggest that the skull resting on the woman’s belly makes a parallel between sex and death, based on the psychoanalysis from Sigmund Freud.
Herma, the model, was heavily pregnant when Klimt made two portraits of her. On Hope I the model is naked, and on this piece, she is covered with a bright golden mantle.
She gently looks down at her body, where a single skull rests on top of her pregnant belly. Her expression suggests she would be praying for the health and prosperity of her offspring. Her chest is naked but her shoulders are covered. She has straight brown hair running down the back of her neck tied to her head following the shapes of her head and neck. She has a skinny bony face detailed in tones of blue and the classical rosy cheeks. Her lips are thin but bright red and her eyebrows are very dark.
The mantle is stamped with several colors and patterns. It’s mostly covered in warm tones, on a bright warm red background covered by golden circles with pink, green, blue and black centers. Down her waist, it has a more intricate and geometrical pattern, composted by green, rose and blue triangles and swirls. Brushstrokes also get more intense and vigorous.
There is the presence of the heads of three women with different hair colors bowing as if they were drowning on Herma’s mantle. Her hands are spread pointing upwards, as if they were asking for a blessing, praying or mourning. Their eyes are delicately shut and their faces are very bland and serious. The background is covered with a textured dark golden leaf.
This piece has been part of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) collection, in New York. It was sold to the museum in 1978, by the private collector and previous owner, Hands Barnas.
Real Oil Paints, Real Brushes, Real Artists, Real Art. The Certificate of Authenticity which arrives with every painting provides an assurance and verifies the authenticity of the hand painted fine art reproduction you purchased. Each oil painting is created by hand using only the finest canvas and oil paints available.
Important Notes About Your Painting:
If you have any request to alter your reproduction of Hope II,
you must email us after placing your order and we'll have an artist contact you.
If you have another image of Hope II
that you would like the artist to work from, please include it as an attachment. Otherwise, we will reproduce the above image for you exactly as it is.
Free shipping is included in the price of the painting. Once the painting is ready and dry enough to ship, we will roll it and ship it in a sturdy cardboard tube.
We always ship express via courier to ensure your order reaches you as soon as possible - normally within three business days. The total delivery time from the moment you place your order until the package is delivered to your door is normally between three to four weeks.
If, in the unlikely event you were dissatisfied with the painting after reviewing it in person, it can be returned for a full refund for up to 365 days after delivery.
When you receive the painting; you are free to return it for more revisions or else for a full refund minus our actual shipping cost -- which is, on average, $25 per painting.
1st Art Gallery provides a full warranty covering manufacturing and material defects for paintings purchased from our website. The warranty covers damage for normal use. Damage caused by incidents such as accidents or inappropriate use are not covered.
Depending on the degree of damage to the warranted painting, it will either be repaired or replaced. This warranty service is provided free of charge.
When purchasing a painting on its own, it will arrive rolled inside a secure tube with an extra 1.5" of white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it in any local frame shop.
You may choose to purchase your painting framed, in which case, it will arrive "ready to hang". We offer more than 20 beautiful models, all hand finished and expertly assembled by our experienced framers.
Note that for safety reasons we can only frame up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached the framing option is automatically disabled.
If you are planning to frame your painting yourself,
use an existing frame, or frame it locally, you may choose to order your painting with a stretching service,
meaning that it will arrive mounted on wooden bars.
If you're considering not framing your painting at all, you may opt for a Gallery Wrap. The term Gallery Wrap refers to the way the canvas is stretched, which is by wrapping it around thick stretcher bars, about 1.5 inch thick, with the canvas being secured to the back rather than the sides of those bars.
All orders ship with UPS, FedEx or DHL and will arrive directly to your home or office. A tracking number will be emailed to you as soon as the order leaves our studio so you can track it online. All orders ship express and usually arrive within 4-5 days from the shipping date. Due to shipping restraints, many of our framed, stretched, and oversize paintings may take 6-21 days for arrival depending on the safest route determined by the postal service.