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The motif of the standing female nude figure is frequently found in Klimt’s paintings and reached a particular highpoint in his final creative years. In his drawings, Klimt never tired of capturing the physical features and temperaments of his standing models, whether in connection with his paintings or in a completely independent working process.
Alice Strobl assigns the present drawing to the numerous studies that Klimt created for the frontal nude figure in the painting “Girlfriends II” (“Die Freundinnen II”, 1916/17, burnt at Immendorf Castle in 1945). She places this study in the early phase of preparatory work for “Girlfriends II” – which, according to her research, can be dated to as early as 1915. In this early group of studies, “three-dimensional values are clearly emphasised, finding expression in a more full-figured type, rounded contours and a concentration of lines in certain places” (Strobl, vol. III, p. 155).
In our drawing, the partly flowing, partly broken lines result in a vibrant pulsation of the contours, causing the blank areas of skin to shine out from their equally empty surroundings. An element of tension characteristic of Klimt’s work is created by the way the head and lower legs are cut across by the edges of the sheet. Despite these barriers, the figure seems to come sensually close to us.
(Marian Bisanz-Prakken)