Female Nude with Animals in a Landscape

Female Nude with Animals in a Landscape

Artist Gustav Klimt's classic artwork, Female Nude with Animals in a Landscape, manifests the classic realist technique incorporated within the artists work.

The origin date for the artwork remains unknown, however in relation to the realist style of the work, is most likely one of the artist's first pieces of art early in his career.

The painting illustrates a beautiful nude woman, are she tilts her head to the side analyzing the floor. The woman elegantly holds one hand along her chest in the middle, exposing her bare breasts for the viewer to seize. She stands with her legs together, however her right leg is gently tilted, creating more form within her body.

The woman's form is evidently a beautiful pose she is consumed in, gently tilting her head that showcases her classic features. The traditional models Klimt used throughout his work were Austrian woman, with strong Jewish features. This muse on the other hand carries more western lineaments within her face, with a lighter hair colour.

The woman's flourishing body emphasises her naked form in an artistic matter. It is not an erotic piece, but a glimpse into the nature of sexuality and the human body as the woman is placed in the midst of nature. She lightly covers her backside in a white cloth that hands down her body, flowing onto the floor.

The artist used a significance array of technique to showcase the cloth, as different small shades of grey contour the piece. Alongside, the woman's body is illuminated in small brush strokes, illustrating her luminous light skin. Shade is used around the outside of her body to showcase depth and accentuate the woman's curves and caverns. The muse remains the focal point of the piece, seizing the attention of the viewers upon witnessing her graceful form.

The surrounding environment holds a significant form alongside the woman. An array of prominent animals is used to showcase the environment, all different to one another. Two ostriches stand to the right of the painting, gently folding one leg to the other in a beautiful position highlighting her body. To the right of the ostrich, a fox stands on his hind legs and stares directly at the viewer with his mouth open. At the bottom left of the painting, a sleeping lion lays covered in a beautiful array of yellow-nude colours. An Ostrich was also captured by Picasso in a pencil drawing, whilst Franz Marc produced several paintings of foxes.

These animals add to the artwork as they cohabitate with the woman, illustrating the symbol of nature and coming together as one. From an array of different environments, the animals cohabitate together as one. The muse seems to be letting go of her white cloth that covers her body, exposing her natural form and coming together with the animals. The background environment within the painting remains lush and tropical, questioning if Klimt traveled to such a region to obtain inspiration, or if the piece is a reincarnation of his imagination.

The painting is a classic tail that illustrates the different forms of nature coming together, intertwining the environment, animals and humans together. As the origins of the painting remain unknown, the realist technique illustrates the work occurred at the beginning of Klimt's career. The soft brush strokes accentuate the painting, adding life to the canvas and accentuating the beauty of nature.