Bust Portrait of a Lady in Profile from the Left, 1904/05

This drawing was executed in connection with a larger group of portrait studies, created around 1904/05, which cannot be associated with any specific paintings. All the works from this group, including the present drawing from the Leopold Museum, show female likenesses and bust portraits in strict profile. Alice Strobl linked Klimt’s clear penchant for this type of depiction to the famous profile portraits from the Italian Quattrocento. It is highly probable that Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) would have seen these depictions at an exhibition opening in Berlin in May 1905 at the painting gallery of the former Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum and that they would have made a great impression on him. The majority of the aforementioned portrait studies indeed convey a sense of tranquility and statics reminiscent of the Old Masters, with many of the models portrayed with closed eyes. In contrast to this, the lady’s bust portrait from the Leopold Collection surprises with its dynamic character evoked by the forward movement of the upper body, the wide eyes and the mouth opened as if the model were about to speak.

FS