Reclining Woman (Liegender Halbakt)

The powerful drawing Reclining Woman (Liegender Halbakt) by Gustav Klimt dates from 1917, representing the culmination of the artist's intense focus on the female form in his later years. Executed meticulously in pencil on paper, this highly detailed study exemplifies the immediacy and observational skill inherent in Klimt’s graphic work. The technique relies on delicate yet decisive line work, utilizing varying pressure and layering of graphite to model the body rather than relying on heavy shadow or cross-hatching. This approach emphasizes the fluidity and weight of the subject, rendering the figure with both anatomical accuracy and characteristic Symbolist elegance.

The subject shows a woman depicted in a state of repose, her body angled slightly toward the viewer in a moment of intimate privacy. Klimt produced hundreds of preparatory studies such as this throughout his career, often focusing on models captured in candid, transitional poses. The work belongs to the final phase of the Austrian artist’s career, c. 1917, shortly before his death. While the style retains the sensual detail associated with the Vienna Secession movement, the simplicity of the graphite medium strips away the opulent surface patterns typical of his finished canvases, highlighting the fundamental purity of the human form beneath.

This significant drawing illustrates Klimt’s consistent mastery of draftsmanship and his dedication to capturing the dynamic range of human expression through line. The work currently resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, serving as a key example of the artist's late output. Given the nature of these preparatory drawings, many similar studies eventually enter the public domain, making high-quality prints and reproductions of the Austrian master’s graphic work widely accessible for both academic study and appreciation.