Gustav Klimt:
Head of a Woman, Hands on her Cheek (Frauenkopf, die Hände an die Wange gelegt), 1903
Black chalk on paper
39.6 × 29.8 cm
©The Albertina Museum, Vienna (Inv. 23667)
(Strobl s895)

Gustav Klimt’s work on paper provides a direct look at his working process in the studio. This 1903 black chalk drawing, held in the Albertina Museum, was not created as an independent artwork. Instead, it was a study sheet for one of his most debated public projects.

Preparing for Jurisprudenz

This sheet is a preparatory study for Jurisprudenz (Jurisprudence), one of the three Faculty Paintings commissioned for the ceiling of the University of Vienna. Klimt’s designs for these panels faced heavy criticism from university officials and the public. To develop the complex composition, he drew numerous details from live models in his studio. This specific sheet depicts the head and hands of an Erinnye (Fury), a figure representing vengeance in the final composition.

Linework and Technique

The drawing is executed in black chalk on toned paper. Klimt focused entirely on the placement of the hands against the cheek and the tilt of the head. Long, clear lines define the thick, wavy hair that falls down the right side of the sheet. The eyes are drawn closed. The lower part of the torso remains completely unfinished, showing that Klimt was isolating a single expression and gesture for the canvas.

A Surviving Record

Because the final oil painting of Jurisprudenz was eventually rejected by the university and later possibly destroyed during World War II, studies like this one are the only remaining physical evidence of Klimt’s work on the composition. Although created as a practical studio exercise, the clean draftsmanship allows the drawing to stand on its own as a study of form and expression.