Gustav Klimt

Though breaking early in his career with the sanctioned style of the Vienna Academy, Gustav Klimt never abandoned some aspects of his formal training, particularly his passion for working directly from nude models. While some of these sittings developed into compositions for paintings, over four thousand of his remaining works are delicate line drawings of female models in provocative and erotic poses. In this case, the woman sits upright and directly engages the viewer with a flirtatious smile. Klimt’s manipulation of contour lines presents her body with sensitivity and individuality, suggesting the immediacy of her nakedness and prompting many early critics to condemn such drawings as pornographic.