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Profile of a Girl (Study for 'Thalia and Melpomene') (Brustbild eines Mädchens mit langem Haar im Profil nach links)

Profile of a Girl (Study for 'Thalia and Melpomene') (Brustbild eines Mädchens mit langem Haar im Profil nach links)

Gustav Klimt
Austrian, 1862–1918
1898–99
A delicate colored-pencil on paper study in which Klimt records a girl's profile and long, flowing hair as a preparatory study for his Thalia and Melpomene.
A pale, almost ethereal sheet dominated by a mass of fine blue pencil hair from which the sitter’s softly modeled profile barely emerges, creating a filigree of line that feels both intimate and decorative.
The drawing reveals Klimt’s emphasis on line and ornament—bridging precise academic portrait study and the decorative, symbolist surfaces that would become central to his Vienna Secession work.
Medium
Colored pencil on paper
Dimensions
16 3/4 x 11 3/8" (42.6 x 28.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Joan and Lester Avnet Collection
Accession
910.1979
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
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