Seated Woman from the Front with Hat, Face Hooded

"Seated Woman from the Front with Hat, Face Hooded" by Gustav Klimt Austrian, 1862-1918, is a highly characteristic drawing from the artist's mature period. Executed in 1910, this preparatory sketch utilizes graphite, enhanced with selective touches of colored pencil, applied to ivory wove paper. Unlike his highly finished oil paintings, this drawing reveals the raw energy and precision of Klimt’s linear technique, showcasing his meticulous approach to draftsmanship and figure study.

The subject is defined by strong contour lines typical of Viennese graphic arts of the era. The figure is shown seated directly toward the viewer, cloaked by a heavy hood or hat that intentionally obscures her face. This deliberate concealment generates a sense of mystery and introspection, themes Klimt frequently explored in his work in Austria during the years leading up to World War I. The composition belongs to a crucial period when Klimt was refining the expressive potential of the human figure, moving beyond the strict, flat ornamentation of the earlier Vienna Secession style toward a deeper psychological exploration.

While Klimt is best known for the opulent gold-phase paintings, his extensive corpus of drawings provides indispensable insight into his working methods and compositional development. This important classification of drawing resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As many of the 1862-1918 works enter the public domain, high-quality prints and reproductions of studies such as Seated Woman from the Front with Hat, Face Hooded help illuminate the artist’s complex creative process for broader audiences worldwide.