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I've had an A4 card print of this painting for about 30 years, perched in a frame on my bedroom wall. I always thought it was a celebration of female sexual freedom (be it straight, bi or lesbian), or just some bloke's fantasy of what he wished he could find in his bed! Although I love this piece of 'erotic art', I didn't even know it was titled "The Virgins", and having recently done a little research I have also seen it described as "The Virgin" or "The Seven Virgins". I only ever counted six faces/bodies in the bed and wondered where the seventh might be...I now realise that my card print had been cropped to make it look better in A4 format! The original painting is almost perfectly square, as depicted in this canvas, and the seventh lady is hiding inside the white sheet/shroud on the left (which I had never seen before as it had been chopped off), the only obvious evidence of her presence being her small hand emerging above her covered head.Now to the revelatory part (for me, anyway); the title "The Virgin" makes most sense to me. I initiallly interpreted this in two ways:-1. The six entangled women are all worldly harlots complete with slutty makeup (certainly not judging them for that --- I love women in all their disguises from Saint to sinner), some more obviously 'experienced' than others, and the one on the left (smaller and separated from the rest) is the shy and innocent virgin who wishes to become like them, hence the emerging hand showing its wish to be part of their world.2. Most of the above, except that the virgin is a depiction of the biblical "Virgin Mary", hence the white shroud, alone and unnoticed yet feebly holding out a pure hand of redemption to the 'fallen women' who are distractedly revelling in their debauchery. Such is the gulf between the sublime and the corporeal.Who knows? This is just work-in-progress in my head. I may have got this completely wrong and way off the message that Klimt was trying to convey. It's my new take on what I've long considered to be a beautiful picture of one of my favourite subjects. But then isn't art meant to be subjective and personal? And isn't the best art meant to leave one scratching one's head as to what it really means?I also have other interpretations in mind, but they're deeper, darker and more complicated, still fermenting, and I didn't want to go on too long.Anyway, back to the product review. The frame looks well made, the print itself is good, but not as vivid as depicted in the website photo. Hopefully it will be durable enough to outlast me (that shouldn't be too difficult to achieve!) --- it will be hung well away from sunlight and damp so it should be OK.Hope you found this review helpful. It's no longer just a pervey "Where's Wally?" picture for me, and this print has opened up a new universe of thought and contemplation.EDIT 23 August 2020:I felt compelled to add this to my review as it's been playing on my mind. Here are two more of my amateur and probably worthless interpretations of this beautiful work of Klimt's genius (apologies in advance to Gustav):-3. Strap yourself in.The dark background is the non-judgmental empty universe, the source of all creation, waiting to be filled with any and all experience.The top of the painting (and the space above) represents the proverbial "Heaven".The bottom of the painting (and below) represents the proverbial "Hell".The main body of the painting is the corporeal world, with all the pretty baubles and temptations that it offers to the wise and unwary alike. It's currently ruled by "The Devil", whose menacing face is clearly visible if you look intently enough (a hidden subliminal, but once you've seen him, you'll never be able to unsee). This is a biased representation of the world (as is all art) as it only incudes tempting ladies in a bed.The lady at the top of the pile is a new arrival in a relatively peaceful state of half-drowsiness, having not fallen far from the Heaven above, and blissfully unaware of all that is below her. Is she perhaps the virgin?The blonde and brunette next down the scale are having different experiences. The blonde looks to be in a state of probably sexual (??) ecstasy possibly accompanied by some sort of rapture as her elbow is out of the frame still connected to "Heaven" at the top. She wears makeup, so isn't all innocent. The dark-haired one reminds me of Jane Russell (remember her?). Her eyes are a wide open stare and streetwise, but in a materialistic trance. She thinks she knows exactly what's going on and what she wants. Tons of makeup and fully absorbed into the Devil's game. Ready to be next in line for......Most prominent girl. Appears blissfully slumbering in a not too unusual sleep position, no sign of consciousness. Looks to me like a dead woman with a broken neck. Arms strangely outstretched as if expressing joy or declaring lifeless victory. Devil is mocking the world by posing her so? She still wears makeup but doesn't need much now she's dead.Next girl. Light brown hair. Getting closer to hell. Is she looking down at what awaits her thinking WTF!!!??? Possibly can't lift her head 'cos the Devil's snapped the thing that would hold it up. No chance of seeing Heaven again...??Lowest girl. Only half a face and one semi-conscious eye visible. Her head strangely angled too. Looks like she's resigned herself to her fate and might disappear forever. Could she wake up to her predicament? Is there any possibility of escape? What could she do next even if she wanted to??Finally the small girl on the left. A tragic and pitiful-looking figure, I feel like crying when I look at her. She appears to be making a desperate attempt to laboriously climb up the edge of the world, back to from where she once fell. Been to the bottom ("bin there, done that, got the T-shirt" --- or in this case, shroud) and has learned everything from the place. Had enough. Going home to redemption. A description of this painting that I read described her as "skeletal", presumably because there appear to be ribs showing through the thin cloth, understandable as her soul would be starved of all nourishment (love) in Hell so she would be weak and emaciated, and with less flesh than those yet to descend to the bottom. She ignores those still falling as she's going the other way, and anyway they would neither listen nor understand.The swirly things in the bottom half of the painting perhaps represent spirals of confusion designed to disorient those souls who find themselves in that region, thus preventing them from realising their predicament. Pointless thoughts going round and round indefinitely to keep them imprisoned.I also read that this painting was described by Klimt as a representation of "modern women". It was painted circa 1913.OR...4. It's a bunch of innocent girls having a friendly sleepover next to a Herman Munster Halloween mask while a giant emaciated white GM slug with an appendage resembling a human-looking hand slowly slithers past.Just a couple of personal musings. Enjoy the rest of your day.
