"Eine für einen Siebzehnjährigen ungewöhnliche und beachtliche Fertigkeit in der abbildhaften Wiedergabe der äußeren Erscheinung, die durch sorgfältige Schattierung die plastische Prägnanz der Dinge stark hervortreten lässt. Die Schraffierung selbst verrät einen ausgesprochenen Hang zu kalligraphischer Säuberlichkeit. Kohlewischungen werden durch darüber gesetzte Lineamente wieder graphisch durchschaubar gemacht."
"An unusual and remarkable skill for a seventeen-year-old in the pictorial reproduction of the external human appearance, which through careful shading, allows the three-dimensional refinement objects to stand out. The hatching itself reveals a pronounced penchant for calligraphic cleanliness. Charcoal is made graphically transparent again through lineaments placed over it."
The Austrian artist Gustav Klimt is the most prominent member of the Vienna Secession movement. He is not only well known for his paintings, but also his drawings. Especially the early crafted works on paper seem to be elaborated in a refined way.
The subject of the female figure is characteristic for Klimt, however the present carefully executed early drawing of a young girl is a testimonial of Klimt’s extraordinary draftsmanship.
Klimt grew up in modest circumstances. His talent for drawing was noticed early on. He was awarded a scholarship to study art in 1876 when he was fourteen years old. At the beginning of his artistic career, he created, among others, outstanding realistic portraits like this Mädchenportrait (Portrait of a girl) from 1879.
The girl, depicted in three-quarter profile to the left, is positioned in a close up to the viewer. Far from being a sketch, this is an exceptional detailed depiction of a child. The drawing appears like a photograph. Her clothes are tightly buttoned. The tension of the buttons evokes a certain three-dimensionality. Her skin seems delicate, and the execution of the soft curled hair is very fine and precise. Moreover, the snub nose and the full lips as well as the notably twinkle in her eyes evoke the realistic representation. The girl’s eyes glare into the distance. One cannot clearly determine an emotion from her facial expression, though leave the viewer with curiosity. The neutral facial expression reinforces the assumption that the drawing should be as realistic as possible like a photograph.
Furthermore in his execution, Klimt pays attention to the reflections of light and shadow. Her face is bathed in pure light, while the rest remains in dimmed tones. The effects of the stunning transitions from the darker parts to the brighter ones are accomplished through fine gradations using charcoal, chalk and white heightened. The advantage of using these materials is that the artist may create soft transitions between light and shadow as well as strong contrasts.
