Reclining Nude with Drapery, Back View

Reclining Nude with Drapery, Back View is a highly expressive graphite drawing created by Gustav Klimt between 1917 and 1918, shortly before the artist’s death. This late-period study exemplifies Klimt’s lifelong commitment to meticulously documenting the female form, a consistent subject throughout his career, whether in finished canvases or preparatory sketches.

Executed in graphite on paper, the technique is characterized by a delicate yet firm hand. Klimt utilizes minimal shading, relying instead on the expressive quality of line work to define the volume and posture of the reclining subject. The model is presented from the back, emphasizing the sensuous curve of her spine and the rounded forms of her hips, which contrasts sharply with the lightly sketched, almost abstract background suggested by faint outlines of fabric or drapery.

Although classified as a drawing, works such as this are central to understanding the maturation of Klimt’s style, revealing the foundational anatomy and figural studies underlying his celebrated Symbolist and Secessionist paintings. The immediate intimacy and unidealized quality of this representation distinguish it from the decorative excesses of his earlier "Golden Period."

This significant piece resides in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a seminal example of European drawing from the early 20th century, the image often circulates in the public domain, allowing institutions and private collectors to acquire fine art prints that showcase Klimt’s masterful draftsmanship and his complex treatment of female nudes.