After about 1909 Klimt gradually moved away from his Golden Style. In his paintings – the portraits, landscapes and allegories – his growing interest in bright, primary colours emerged. His drawings also revealed new colouristic effects, as is clearly demonstrated by this study of a more mature, seated lady – for which there is no known oil painting. The upper part of the sitter shows a dense array of structures that is almost painterly, even though the pencil and crayons have been used only to create lines. The lower two-thirds of the depiction leaves much unanswered about the position and attire of the sitter – perhaps even a second figure is indicated – and Klimt has introduced the empty, wide area within the garment as a zone of light. He has enlivened the expression of the smiling lady by using red crayon to go over the blue, slightly parted lips of the inclined face. As a result the mouth becomes the sensual focus of the portrayal, as was so often the case in his studies of female models. The irregularly accentuated eyes and eyebrows add considerably to the vitality of the expression – a characteristic stylistic device for the artist. Klimt has anchored the figure on the surface by cropping the wide hat at the very top with the edge of the paper.

Marian Bisanz–Prakken

Literatur: Alice Strobl: Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen. 1904 – 1912. Band 2. Verlag Galerie Welz. Salzburg 1982, S. 244 f., WVZ Nr. 2004. - Secession. Europäischer Kunst um die Jahrhundertwende. Katalog zur Ausstellung im Haus der Kunst München, München 1964, vgl. Abb. Nr. 252.