What the painting shows

Study for Adele Bloch-Bauer I (Standing) by Klimt depicts a standing woman drawn in pencil on paper around 1903. Gustav Klimt centered the figure vertically, letting her tall silhouette dominate the sheet.

At the top, you see the woman’s face and hair rendered in delicate graphite strokes. Her voluminous hair puffs out to both sides of her head, framing facial features that include defined lips, a straight nose, and an outline of eyes. A narrow choker circles her neck just above an open collar.

A long, floor-length cloak covers her body. Klimt used confident lines to describe the smooth front panel of the garment, leaving the central surface open to reveal the tone of the paper. Down the left side, undulating pencil lines trace a ruffled edging or cascading fabric that runs down the cloak. At the bottom edge, two tiers of horizontal ruffles flare out around her feet, forming layered frills that anchor the standing figure.

Who the sitter was

The sitter is Adele Bloch-Bauer. Gustav Klimt created this pencil study, also cataloged under the titles Stehend von vorne and Studie für das Porträt I der Adele Bloch-Bauer, to develop ideas for his portraits. The sheet is one of the preparatory drawings linked to her image.

Where to see it

Study for Adele Bloch-Bauer I (Standing) is in a private collection. The sheet measures 45.1 by 31.1 centimeters. Because the drawing belongs to an individual owner rather than a public museum, it is not on regular public view.