Seated Female Nude

Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt: Die Zeichnungen, 1904–1912, vol. II, Verlag Galerie Welz, Salzburg, 1982, pp. 96–97, fig. 1496.

A drawing by Gustav Klimt depicting a seated female nude with crossed legs, executed in red pencil on paper. The model is shown in a relaxed pose, her body slightly turned while her head tilts gently to one side, framed by short, curling hair. Her eyes are lowered, giving the figure a calm, introspective expression.

The drawing is built with a few fluid, economical lines. Klimt defines the face and hair with greater detail, while the shoulders, torso and crossed legs are suggested through light, continuous contours that leave much of the sheet untouched. This contrast between precision and openness gives the figure a sense of lightness and immediacy.

In its motif, the drawing is related to Klimt’s studies for “The Arts”, the female figures in the final section of the Beethoven Frieze, created for the 14th exhibition of the Vienna Secession in 1902 and now one of the artist’s most celebrated works.

The sheet is documented in Alice Strobl’s catalogue raisonné of Klimt’s drawings and bears the estate stamp applied to the works found in the artist’s studio after his death in 1918. It is presented in an ornate carved and gilded frame with a dark mount.