Seated Female Nude in Turned Position, c. 1907

Alice Strobl subsumed approximately 30 studies created around 1907 into a group on the theme “Nudes and Semi-Nudes in Various Poses”. The present work on paper as well as the drawing Seated Female Nude with Red Hair, Her Arms Crossed Above Her Head from the Leopold Collection form part of this group. As with several other renderings from the group, Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) created this work using blue crayon, though he dispensed with the striking color accents he often included in crayon drawings, for instance to highlight the drapery. Klimt limited his stylistic means to delicate, continuous lines not only for delineating the outlines of the body but also for rendering the face, hair and drapery, and left the inner surfaces largely blank. Combined with the balanced, pyramid-shaped composition of this model sitting upright and glancing sideways, the drawing exudes a sense of calm confidence.

FS