Gustav Klimt:
Standing Pregnant Nude with Lowered Head, Facing Left (Stehender Akt einer Schwangeren nach links mit gesenktem Kopf), 1903/04
Pencil on paper
45 × 30.5 cm
Private Collection
(Strobl s991)

Preparatory Studies for Hope I

This pencil drawing is a preparatory study for the major oil painting Hope I (1903–1904). The sheet features a model commonly identified as Herma, one of Klimt’s preferred models in Vienna during this period. According to contemporary accounts, Klimt grew concerned when Herma suddenly stopped appearing at his studio, only to discover she was pregnant. He subsequently convinced her to continue posing, resulting in a series of highly unconventional maternal studies that challenged the decorative and traditional boundaries of Viennese art at the turn of the century.

Unlike Egon Schiele’s clinical and institutional drawings of pregnant women from 1910, Klimt’s study is executed within the private space of his studio. He focuses on the formal flow of the figure rather than the raw physiological reality, transforming the subject into a stylized silhouette that explores the theme of expectation.

The Context of Pregnancy and Mizzi Zimmermann

Klimt’s frequent exploration of the pregnant female form around 1902–1904 was deeply intertwined with both his personal life and the broader artistic philosophy of the Vienna Secession. On a personal level, Klimt experienced the realities of pregnancy and fatherhood firsthand through his long-term model and partner, Marie “Mizzi” Zimmermann. She gave birth to his son Gustav in 1899 and a second son, Otto, in 1902, who tragically died in infancy. The profound impact of these births, coupled with the grief of losing a child, directly informed Klimt’s artistic focus during these specific years.

Beyond autobiography, pregnancy served as a vital allegory for the Secessionists, symbolizing the existential cycle of life, growth, and rebirth. In Hope I, Klimt explicitly countered the traditional, idealized depictions of motherhood by presenting the raw, naked reality of pregnancy surrounded by dark, threatening allegorical figures of death and disease. By sketching Herma and other pregnant models, Klimt used his personal experiences with Zimmermann to explore universal themes of existential anxiety and human destiny.

Technical Execution

The drawing is executed entirely in fine pencil on paper. Klimt employs a continuous, rhythmic contour line to define the profile of the standing woman. The composition centers on the specific anatomical geometry of the subject, creating a formal balance between the sharp curve of the spine and the protruding contour of the abdomen.

Shading is applied with extreme restraint, restricted to a few delicate parallel hatches around the lowered head and face to establish depth. By isolating the standing figure completely against the raw paper background, Klimt removes any immediate narrative or domestic interior, concentrating entirely on the linear rhythm that would later inform the complex allegorical structure of Hope I.