Gustav Klimt:
Transfer Drawing for the Faculty painting ‘Jurisprudence’ (1903)
Black chalk, pencil
84 x 61.4 cm
Private collection
(Strobl s942)

This transfer drawing shows how Gustav Klimt planned his painting Jurisprudence. He used it to figure out where the figures would go before painting them on the final canvas. You can see the grid on the drawing, which helped him scale everything up to the full size. Like the other Faculty paintings, Jurisprudence was huge—about 430 by 300 centimeters.

The Faculty paintings—Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence—were made for the ceiling of the Great Hall at the University of Vienna. Klimt was asked to show the main areas of study at the university, but instead of traditional scenes, he painted dark, emotional images that showed life, death, and mystery.

Philosophy had floating figures in a dark space, showing the unknown and the passing of time. Medicine showed a stream of bodies representing life, with death and suffering mixed in. The goddess of health, Hygieia, turns away from the people. Jurisprudence had bound figures, the three Fates, and a faceless judge—more about punishment than justice.

Many people were shocked by these paintings. Critics said they were disturbing and even offensive. Klimt ended up giving back the money he was paid and took the paintings out of the project. They were sold to private collectors.

Sadly, all three Faculty paintings were probably destroyed in a fire in 1945, near the end of World War II. They were being stored in a castle in Lower Austria when it was burned down by retreating troops. Today, only sketches, photos, and drawings like this one remain—pieces of Klimt’s bold and powerful vision that challenged the way people thought about art and education.