Klimt had been representing and reviving the subject of the stretched out, reclining model positioned parallel to the picture plane ever since his first studies of around 1904 for the paintings Water Serpents I and Water Serpents II. In this sketch, dating from around 1914/15, the passively languishing female figure conveys the impression of being part of an endless stream of motion, which is suggested by the fragmentation of the figure on either side. This horizontal flow is evoked by the body’s sensual curves and the rippled material beneath the figure; the emphasized pubic area also contributes to these pulsating linear rhythms. Once again Klimt treads his characteristic line between sensitive linearity and strict planarity, between erotic presence and metaphysical detachment. The reclining woman turns her face towards the viewer but only shows her closed eyes as her hand conceals the lower part, enhancing the impression of mysterious reverie.

Marian Bisanz-Prakken

Literature: Alice Strobl: Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen 1912 – 1918. Vol. III. Salzburg 1984, p. 74, ill. p. 75, cat. rais. no. 2428. – Serge Sabarsky: Gustav Klimt Drawings. Mount Kisco. NY 1983. Milano 1983. London 1984. Berlin and Vienna 1984, no. 61. - Neue Galerie New York: Gustav Klimt. The Ronald S. Lauder and Serge Sabarsky Collections. exh. cat. Prestel Verlag 2007, ill. p. 341.