Silhouette I & II

The Japanese inspired drawing, Silhouette I & II, manifests the artist's revolutionary through other genres of art.

The drawing was created in 1912, upon Klimt's high-rise success received through the artist Art Nouveau works showcased through the period of his gold phase.

The drawing highly resembles another print of the artist's, Blood of Fish, which showcases a drawing of woman submerged under the water paired with a fish. The similarities between both pieces are the Japanese woman cast within the illustrations.

The uprising transition within artist Gustav Klimt's work throughout the decades is showcased through his array of styles, yet classic techniques.

Silhouette I & II reveals a pairing of bodies next to one another in a mosaic form. While the artist had never set foot into Japan, the print was incredibly influenced by the foreign art culture at the time. The significance of Asian art is entailed with Klimt's work, using different colours, shapes and patterns based off of the historic culture overseas.

The print illustrates two matching women placed reflecting one another. They hold the same silhouette, yet are coloured in two different patterns. Gustav Klimt had shaded his work in an Art Deco pattern covering the body of both women. On the right, a diamond shaped pattern is placed against one another, in shades of gold, red, and white. To the left of the piece, another Art Deco pattern seized the style of the woman's silhouette as it is covered in black and white squares and triangles with aspects of gold detailing. The similarity between both stilettos is the black background it is based upon.

Each woman holds their hands towards their body, illustrating that the women are in fact two different people. The background of the print is based in a creamy yellow colour the covers the paper, based in black detailing around the piece. Near the heads of the Japanese women, a black swirling flower shaped mosaic pattern covers the paper. The viewer is able to witness that the artist had used an array of his classic features, including patchwork patterns.

The calligraphy of the work holds the similar style to the art occurring at the time in Japan, based on silk creamy paper and a myriad of other piece. As Klimt's Silhouette I & II was created in 1912, the style of art deco had seized the art scene as of the 1910's; evidently showcased through the patterns Klimt used within his work. The artist is well known for his paintings illustrating the lustful silhouette of women, however the style was never illustrated against graphic paper other than Silhouette I & II and Blood of Fish.

Gustav Klimt's artwork cultivates an array of styles through his broad range of technique. As the artist shifts through the different styles, similar and opposite of his contemporaries, his soft technique remains the same against each canvas and paper.

Klimt's draughtsmanship and attention to detail is the primary focal point of the artist within each piece. An array of artist's after Klimt incorporate a meticulous attention to detail, creating similar pieces of art, as evident through the style of Egon Schiele.