Portrait of Hermine Gallia (1904) by Gustav KlimtThe National Gallery, London
Hermine Gallia (1870–1936), who was born in Hamburg, was the wife of Moritz Gallia. Moritz began by running one of the most modern gas and electricity plants in the empire and later held shares in numerous other companies. The couple were among those members of affluent middle-class society in Vienna who had Jewish roots and were very receptive to modern art and culture.
The Gallias not only commissioned Klimt to paint a portrait of Hermine and, in addition, owned a landscape painting by him but, in 1913, they had their whole house furnished by Klimt's fellow artist, the brilliant architect and designer Josef Hoffmann. Moritz Gallia was a partner in the "Wiener Werkstätte" (Vienna Workshop) design company that had been co-founded by Hoffmann.
Klimt's portrait of Hermine Gallia is full height, although the lower part of her dress is cut off by the bottom of the painting.
Indeed, in many of his portraits, Klimt shows his subjects in such close-up that the lower part of their body—their feet and shoes—cannot be seen in the painting. Klimt apparently wanted to create the impression that the person was floating.
Soft pastel shades dominate the portrait of Hermine Gallia. Klimt avoided strong colors and loud color contrasts. The most prominent feature in the painting is the subject's dark hair, which is artfully piled up on top of her head.
The black hair contrasts with the symphony of shades of white and gray that characterize the magnificent, beautifully made silk gown worn by Hermine Gallia.
Klimt paid loving attention to detail in reproducing this lavishly tailored dress, taking particular care over embellishments such as the ruffles and ribbons.
With the talent of a master artist, he well knew how to express sensual qualities in his work, especially the characteristic sheen of the silk and the tissue-like texture of the many overlapping layers of silk, with inimitable skill.
To enhance the many shades of shimmering white and icy blue, Klimt added a very restrained pink sash around his subject's waist.
The artist chose a plain and atmospheric background, in a subtle shade of bluish-gray which sets off the cool white tones of the dress perfectly.
At the bottom of the picture is a carpet whose geometric pattern may well have been designed by Josef Hoffmann. But here, too, the colors are very muted and by no means interfere with the overall impression created by the colors in the picture.
Klimt's portrait hung in its stylish surroundings for many years until the National Socialists brutally evicted the Gallia family from Vienna in 1938. The family had to leave their home, but they managed to take Klimt's portrait and some of their furniture to Australia where they installed it in their new home.
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