STUCK, Franz von: Salome

Franz von Stuck's 1906 *Salome* epitomizes the Symbolist fascination with biblical femmes fatales and the anxieties of fin-de-siècle modernity. The Munich-based artist, a founding member of the Munich Secession, transforms the biblical dancer into a potent symbol of dangerous female sexuality and moral transgression—themes that captivated German artists around the turn of the century. Stuck's particular genius lay in merging decorative elegance with psychological intensity, creating works that seduced viewers even as they warned of temptation.