Standing Nude

Standing Nude is a powerful drawing created by Gustav Klimt between 1906 and 1907. Executed in graphite on paper, this intimate study belongs to a critical period of intense formal experimentation following the artist's highly successful "Golden Period." As a central figure in the Vienna Secession, Klimt produced hundreds of rapid drawings of the female form during these years, often using them as preparatory studies for his larger, allegorical paintings, though many also function as complete works in their own right. Unlike the ornate symbolism and dense patterning associated with his earlier canvases, this graphite drawing demonstrates Klimt’s growing modernist interest in capturing the immediate, psychological presence of his subjects through the unadorned power of line.

The work is characterized by the swift, expressive quality of the graphite technique. Klimt employs controlled hatching, varying line pressure, and quick contours to define the model’s stance, emphasizing volume and the subject's direct gaze rather than elaborate decorative embellishment. This approach to female nudes, which rejects the idealized classicism traditionally favored in academic art, offers an unvarnished examination of the body consistent with turn-of-the-century Vienna’s cultural shifts. The standing figure dominates the frame, rendered with a naturalism that was revolutionary at the time.

This masterly drawing serves as a critical document of Klimt's stylistic evolution during the years leading up to his late masterpieces. The drawing Standing Nude is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it represents a significant example of the Austrian master's graphic output. Because many of Klimt's works on paper are now in the public domain, they remain a key resource for students and are widely available as high-quality prints.