Klimt's Studies for the Painting "Judith II (Salome)"

There is a peculiar discord between the linearly elated skirt and leg section and the solemn, frozen-looking gesture of the upper body.

The figure is repeated in the background.

Through the concentration of strong strokes, Klimt sets the broad hairstyle off against the empty space like a relief. This emphasizes all the more the serious, meditative expression of the stooped face, supported by her narrow, vertically stretched hand.

The rhythm of the angled limbs is reminiscent of the right Gorgon in the Beethoven Frieze, who breaks the horizontal and vertical canon with the zig-zag movement of her arms and legs.

This perfect balance between a strict commitment to the plane and an unforced, sensitive use of lines is also shown by the drawing of a seated model, whose clothing is lowered to the waist. The study was Klimt's guide for the painting, particularly in relation to the slightly bent pose of her naked, gaunt upper body and the diagonally running shoulder contour. The veils in the painting refer to the flowing lines of the patterned undergarments in this study.

The self composed figure who looks firmly at the viewer is far removed from the image of the femme fatale.

Klimt effectively plays the distinctive contours of the upper body and the agitated lines of the clothing, in the middle of which the angular knees emerge like islands, against one another.

The subtle blue and red accents and the decoratively integrated signature contribute to the impression of a finished, autonomous work.