Painting reproduction handmade of the artwork
The sphinx (Stuck)

With “The sphinx”, Franz von Stuck transposes the mythological enigma into a chiaroscuro of unsettling poetry. Lying at full length in a highly horizontal format, the creature is depicted with a naked woman’s body, both sensual and of unreal paleness, resting on a rich blood-red drape. She displays a proud carriage of the head and a haughty gaze lost in contemplation. The background is a striking nocturnal landscape: a dark chasm bordered by a small sparkling waterfall, crowned by a deep ultramarine blue sky studded with stars. The cold sensuality of the model contrasts wonderfully with the cosmic immensity, offering a captivating allegorical painting on feminine mystery.