Three Women Skaters, undated

The artist Martin Lenz was a founding member of the Vienna Secession association and belonged to the circle around Gustav Klimt (1862–1918). His most impressive works date from this period. The Three Women Skaters is one of numerous vignettes he created. In a pretty simple composition, three girls are showing holding each other by the hands. They do not look like trained skaters but rather a little fearful and insecure. They are skating against the wind, which blows the long skirts of their dresses. Each girl wears a simple dress, each in a different color—blue, white, mauve—with clear outlines. Seen in the background is a snowy scenery which, in conjunction with the ice and wind, gives a sense of the cold that the girls are exposed to.

BL, 2021