Klimt´s Studies for the Painting "The Three Ages of Woman"

Painting "The Three Ages of Woman" (1905) by Gustav Klimt (1908) by Moriz NährAustrian National Library

In the painting "The Three Ages of Woman" (1905), a major work of his Golden Style, Klimt devoted himself - as before in the faculty painting "The Philosophy" - to the cycle of life, focusing on three stages. Against an abstract, seemingly cosmic background, the monumental nude figures of a despairing old woman and a dreamy mother holding her baby are shown, enveloped by colorfully ornamented cocoons. The contrast between the extreme verism of the aged profile figure and the ideal character of the young, overly slender stylized frontal figure is striking.

Two Studies of a Child Being Held (Studies for "The Three Ages of Woman") (c. 1904) by Gustav KlimtAlbertina Museum

In the studies for the Mother and Child Group, Klimt proves himself to be a psychologically sharp, empathetic observer of infants. With unerring lines, he captures the changing positions of the infant held aloft by the mother's hands, adding incisive accents.

Two Studies of a Child Being Held (Studies for "The Three Ages of Woman") (c. 1904) by Gustav KlimtAlbertina Museum

Again and again he studies the turn of the head, the anxious glance over the shoulder or the soft curve of the belly.

Two Studies of a Child Being Held (Studies for "The Three Ages of Woman") (c. 1904) by Gustav KlimtAlbertina Museum

Already in the drawing phase Klimt differentiates between the naturalness of the child's movements and the geometrically angled arm and hand parts of the mother.

Sleeping Child (Study for "The Three Ages of Woman") (c. 1904) by Gustav KlimtAlbertina Museum

Several times he repeats the outline of the legs.

He masterfully registers the eye closed in sleep with a single, all-dominating stroke.

Old Woman Seated (Study in the Context of "The Three Ages of Woman") (1904) by Gustav KlimtAlbertina Museum

The study of the clothed seated figure of an old woman, for which Klimt used his own mother as a model, was created in the context of the painting "The Three Ages of Woman". This expressive drawing is not characterized by sadness or despair, but by the dignity of old age resting in itself.

With woodcut-like sharpness Klimt fixes the facial features and the headgear, which stand out concisely against the simple contours of the clothing.

The woman's characterfully marked hands resting in her lap are outstanding.

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