Two Studies of a Floating Draped Figure to the Right

Two Studies of a Floating Draped Figure to the Right

Gustav Klimt continuously practiced his artistry within his array of sketchbooks, home today to some of the artist's most pivotal drawings.

The sketch of the two body showcases the artist's attempt to depict a horizontal form to be incorporated within his work. While it is unknown what the history behind the sketch is, similarly to the artist's other work, Klimt's sketchbooks were basis for him to practice his technique. The light pencil on paper sketch manifests the two bodies sideways, using their arms to add form. The sketch seems to illustrate the same person yet in two different positions.

In the one above, the person lays sideways with their hands extended towards the other side, as one curls upon the other. The sketch is quickly illustrates to showcase a glimpse into the form the artist desired to display. The muse is dressed in a deep swatch of fabric covering their silhouette. The soft linear lines throughout the drawing add texture and form to the clothing they are covered in, even while the quick sketch is exactly that, a sketch. Klimt highly recognized the beauty of his work, gently signing his initials even to a sketch that he drew dozens of a day.

The figure beneath illustrates the same model, yet in a different position. The tilts their body in an arch as they lie on their back. On hand is placed over their ribs gently, while the other hand floats towards their head gently curling. Based on the hair of the model, alongside Klimt's common female style, the artwork seems to depict a woman. It is unknown whether the model was actually present at the time, posing as a muse for the artist, or whether she was a glimpse of the broad imagination of the artist. These two figures depict a effortless beauty to the soft drawing, all while used to place for the artist's other masterful paintings. These sketches essentially hold as the foundation of Klimt's famous art works, as without this collection of sketchbooks to showcase ideas, the artist would have never been able to formulate his ideas.

Gustav Klimt was consumed with painting the female body through all its magical forms. Over 4,000 of Klimt's sketches have been seized from his collection of sketchbooks and studios, which illustrate endless styles and ideas, mostly of women. The artist was fascinated with the female body, showcasing it in all its glory and lust. The curves of a woman flow much more gentle through the canvas compared to the masculinity of men. Klimt's work was seized by this natural allure of the female body dazzling through the artist's most famous work.

The artist often depicted women's hair through his work as incredibly long, showcasing a mysterious feminine to the common feature. The long hair symbolizes a mystical approach to his work, swayed across the canvas adding life and form. Throughout the artist's work he often approached display the female body is a innocent, graceful form. However his work was highly critiqued at the time as being seemed as provocative and pornographic when paired with these mystical elements, as they were seen to manipulate the work in a perverted form. The artist did not give up on his style and continued to showcase the nude female body in multiple mediums. Gustav Klimt had painted the masterful art piece Goldfish that showcased naked red haired woman flowering under the water within one another as their hairs intertwine with a gold fish. This painting was meant to be for Klimt's critics who bashed his work in an provocative form.

The artist had briefly illustrated a few erotic sketches within his collection of drawings, adding coloured pencils to highlight the pieces, however had never showcased the work on canvas. Perhaps if it were not for the artist's sudden death and high level of criticism, he would have evolved his work to illustrate those inner desires.