Lady with Cape

Lady with Cape

The artist Gustav Klimt had painted the oil on canvas portrait of the Lady With Cape. The painting dates back to 1898 illustrating the classic realist technique the artist used at the time.

The painting illustrates the dark presence of a woman engulfed in the dark shades throughout the piece. The woman's body is tilted backwards, however she arches her body forward in order to need the gaze of the viewer. The woman's eyes look directly into those of the viewer, creating a moment of emotion between the two as they analyze one another.

Even though the dark colours fill the canvas, the artist had used an array of detail to showcase the signature look within his style. Soft brush strokes have been used in a vertical and horizontal movement, to illustrate the details found within the piece. The style of the painting reflects the realist technique that the artist used for most of his pieces at the time; this includes using natural shades and colours to accentuate the topics of his paintings.

The woman seems to wear a large top hat on her head, illustrating the traditional style at the time. The artist was fascinated by different clothing pieces his models wore, believing that the textures and styles have a strong impact on the viewer. No the following pays remains in dark shades based on the colour scheme made up of black and red, the artist was very familiar with painting the beauty of woman.

Klimt was fascinated by the allure of the female body, with all of his caverns and curves throughout the flow of the skin. Artist favourite painting nude woman, however many of his work such as medicine were highly criticized by art critics as during the era there was seen as pornography. Today the artist is well known for his beautiful nude portraits of women through decades, incorporating realist, impressionist, and Art Nouveau styles.

The dark presence of the woman within the painting adds a dark emotion to the scene. A light source at the right side of the canvas accentuates a few glimpse of colour to the piece. The dark gloomy piece showcases a spontaneous woman, as her stare holds a strong mystery. The silhouette of the woman gently blends into the background of the painting in dark shades of black. The viewers able to witness her big eyes staring directly as she catches their gaze. The woman's small lips, accompanied by her large eyes creates a different contrast to the face of the painting.

The classic piece is one of the artist last realists styled paintings, as he transitions his work into the impressionism art nouveau scene occurring in the Vienna of the time.