Gustav Klimt
(Vienna 1862–1918)
Sitzende mit angewinkelten Beinen (Seated woman with bent legs), c. 1909/1910, estate-stamp and the artist‘s note Unterbau größer, blue coloured pencil on paper, 56 x 36 cm
We are grateful to Marian Bisanz-Prakken for confirming the authenticity of this work. It will be included in the work archive of Gustav Klimt.
Provenance:
Private Collection, Vienna (for three generations)
Compare:
Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen, vol. II, Salzburg 1982. cat. rais. no. 1948
Previously unknown to the art world, this drawing, executed in blue coloured pencil, can be assigned to a series of studies produced between 1909 and 1910. In these works, Klimt focused on various models posed frontally, some seated with legs wide apart (cf. Strobl II, nos. 1942–1955, and particularly no. 1948). The robust, realistically rendered physique of these women differs substantially from the fragile figures Klimt had drawn for the major masterpieces of his Golden Period, which shortly before had come to an end. The present study cannot be directly linked to a specific painting and apparently has been produced as an autonomous work.
Klimt captures the model, who sits with her legs drawn up, within an overarching triangular composition, its base formed by a patterned cloth. The rich tonal gradations of the blue coloured pencil possess a remarkable, luminous intensity. Based on keen observation Klimt defines the contours of the arms clasping the knees and the rhythmically aligned toes, whilst allowing the bare thighs to emerge brightly from the dense labyrinth of drapery lines. He strongly emphasizes the eyebrows and heavy eyelids, which lend a melancholic expression to the sideways-tilted face. Partially concealed, the darkly accentuated curls of the pubic hair create a subtle erotic effect.
The handwritten annotation ‘Unterbau größer’ (lower body larger) presumably refers to the width of the hips and thighs, which in Klimt’s eyes lacked sufficient breadth. Such self-correcting remarks appear repeatedly throughout his graphic œuvre, standing as a testament to his meticulous precision regarding bodily proportions.
Marian Bisanz-Prakken
Specialist: Dr. Marianne Hussl-Hörmann
(Vienna 1862–1918)
Sitzende mit angewinkelten Beinen (Seated woman with bent legs), c. 1909/1910, estate-stamp and the artist‘s note Unterbau größer, blue coloured pencil on paper, 56 x 36 cm
We are grateful to Marian Bisanz-Prakken for confirming the authenticity of this work. It will be included in the work archive of Gustav Klimt.
Provenance:
Private Collection, Vienna (for three generations)
Compare:
Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen, vol. II, Salzburg 1982. cat. rais. no. 1948
Previously unknown to the art world, this drawing, executed in blue coloured pencil, can be assigned to a series of studies produced between 1909 and 1910. In these works, Klimt focused on various models posed frontally, some seated with legs wide apart (cf. Strobl II, nos. 1942–1955, and particularly no. 1948). The robust, realistically rendered physique of these women differs substantially from the fragile figures Klimt had drawn for the major masterpieces of his Golden Period, which shortly before had come to an end. The present study cannot be directly linked to a specific painting and apparently has been produced as an autonomous work.
Klimt captures the model, who sits with her legs drawn up, within an overarching triangular composition, its base formed by a patterned cloth. The rich tonal gradations of the blue coloured pencil possess a remarkable, luminous intensity. Based on keen observation Klimt defines the contours of the arms clasping the knees and the rhythmically aligned toes, whilst allowing the bare thighs to emerge brightly from the dense labyrinth of drapery lines. He strongly emphasizes the eyebrows and heavy eyelids, which lend a melancholic expression to the sideways-tilted face. Partially concealed, the darkly accentuated curls of the pubic hair create a subtle erotic effect.
The handwritten annotation ‘Unterbau größer’ (lower body larger) presumably refers to the width of the hips and thighs, which in Klimt’s eyes lacked sufficient breadth. Such self-correcting remarks appear repeatedly throughout his graphic œuvre, standing as a testament to his meticulous precision regarding bodily proportions.
Marian Bisanz-Prakken
Specialist: Dr. Marianne Hussl-Hörmann
