Gustav Klimt
(Vienna 1862–1918)
Auf der Seite liegender Akt nach rechts (Studie für “Wasserschlangen II”) (Reclining nude on the side, to the right, Study for “Water Snakes II”, 2. Zustand), c. 1905/06, estate stamp, on the reverse numbered twice 071 and faintly legible inscribed 211, red colored pencil on paper, 37.1 x 56 cm
Alice Strobl notes that the small numbers in pencil, as here “211” were used as “counting numbers” for Gustav Klimt's estate, cf. Strobl, IV, p. 221.
Listed and illustrated:
Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen 1904–1912, vol. II, Verlag der Galerie Welz, Salzburg 1982, no. 1471
Provenance:
August (1857–1936) und Serena (1867–1943) Lederer, Vienna
Erich Lederer (1896–1985), Vienna & Geneva until after 1982
Private Collection, Austria
Exhibition:
Essen, Museum Folkwang 1976, Gustav Klimt. Zeichnungen aus Albertina und Privatbesitz, 30 January – 14 March 1976, cat. no. 50, ill. in color
We are grateful to Marian Bisanz-Prakken for examining this work in the original and for her help in cataloguing the work.
The drawing of a model lying on her side, half facing the viewer, belongs to a large group of studies that accompany Klimt’s production of the second version of the painting “Wasserschlangen II” (Water Snakes II), completed in 1907 (see cat. no. 2). These sheets, which Alice Strobl dates to around 1905/06, often go far beyond the painted figures and appear as autonomous works due to their self-contained character.
Just as in the 1904 studies for the first version of the painting, the theme of the endless flow is explored in numerous variations. The horizontal paper format dominates, with the outstretched reclining figures indulging in their dreamy, often erotic moods. As a draughtsman, Klimt also ventured into taboo subjects such as same-sex love or masturbation in this context.
In contrast, the nude figure shown here, drawn in red pencil, is characterized by an expression of inner withdrawal or a state of sleep; the closed eye and the slightly open mouth allow both interpretations. The lean, slightly raised body seems to be carried by a wave - an impression that is reinforced by the ripples in the cloth under her body. Instead of the meticulously sharp lines of the works drawn in 1904, softer outlined forms appear here, with the red color adding an element of warmth and life.
(Marian Bisanz-Prakken)
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(Vienna 1862–1918)
Auf der Seite liegender Akt nach rechts (Studie für “Wasserschlangen II”) (Reclining nude on the side, to the right, Study for “Water Snakes II”, 2. Zustand), c. 1905/06, estate stamp, on the reverse numbered twice 071 and faintly legible inscribed 211, red colored pencil on paper, 37.1 x 56 cm
Alice Strobl notes that the small numbers in pencil, as here “211” were used as “counting numbers” for Gustav Klimt's estate, cf. Strobl, IV, p. 221.
Listed and illustrated:
Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen 1904–1912, vol. II, Verlag der Galerie Welz, Salzburg 1982, no. 1471
Provenance:
August (1857–1936) und Serena (1867–1943) Lederer, Vienna
Erich Lederer (1896–1985), Vienna & Geneva until after 1982
Private Collection, Austria
Exhibition:
Essen, Museum Folkwang 1976, Gustav Klimt. Zeichnungen aus Albertina und Privatbesitz, 30 January – 14 March 1976, cat. no. 50, ill. in color
We are grateful to Marian Bisanz-Prakken for examining this work in the original and for her help in cataloguing the work.
The drawing of a model lying on her side, half facing the viewer, belongs to a large group of studies that accompany Klimt’s production of the second version of the painting “Wasserschlangen II” (Water Snakes II), completed in 1907 (see cat. no. 2). These sheets, which Alice Strobl dates to around 1905/06, often go far beyond the painted figures and appear as autonomous works due to their self-contained character.
Just as in the 1904 studies for the first version of the painting, the theme of the endless flow is explored in numerous variations. The horizontal paper format dominates, with the outstretched reclining figures indulging in their dreamy, often erotic moods. As a draughtsman, Klimt also ventured into taboo subjects such as same-sex love or masturbation in this context.
In contrast, the nude figure shown here, drawn in red pencil, is characterized by an expression of inner withdrawal or a state of sleep; the closed eye and the slightly open mouth allow both interpretations. The lean, slightly raised body seems to be carried by a wave - an impression that is reinforced by the ripples in the cloth under her body. Instead of the meticulously sharp lines of the works drawn in 1904, softer outlined forms appear here, with the red color adding an element of warmth and life.
(Marian Bisanz-Prakken)
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
