Sonja Knips

A young woman in a voluminous pale-pink chiffon dress sits sideways in a dark chair holding a small red book, against a dark umber ground with blossoms at the top right. The figure holds the centre of the canvas, and everything around it, from the fall of the light to the setting, is there to bring it forward. Look closely and the details carry as much of its character as the face itself.

Its palette, measured from the canvas, is led by ink, with blush and rose in support: a low-lit, warm picture. Those warm tones give it a glow that comes alive in lamplight and deepens as the evening draws in. The near-square format holds everything close to the centre, which gives the picture its settled, quiet balance.

A near-square canvas like this one sits easily almost anywhere: above a console, in a reading nook or at the heart of a gallery wall. It brings a quiet presence to a study, a library wall or a landing. Ink and blush are easy to echo in cushions, a throw or a painted wall nearby, and it holds its own in a mixed gallery wall.

Gustav Klimt made the original in 1898; in the collection it is listed under Symbolism. It has the dreamlike air of Symbolism, where figures and objects hint at meanings beyond what they show. This painting is printed to order on gallery-wrapped canvas in 30 × 40 cm or 40 × 60 cm, from the image you see here. The canvas wraps around its frame, so it arrives ready to hang, with no framing needed. Want yourself in it instead? Add a photo and see your portrait free before you order.