Gustav Klimt’s “Sea Serpent” series contains his signature elements: highly ornamental areas, dazzling gold tones, and an erotic jolt. Klimt (1862 – 1918) rose from poverty to great significance in the Viennese Secession and Art Nouveau movement. Over the course of his career, he produced works depicting regeneration, love, death and explicit sensuality, embedded with symbols emphasizing the freedom of art from traditional culture. Klimt’s works are a lavish palette of Egyptian, Classical Greek, Byzantine and Medieval styles.