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What the painting shows
Seated Semi-Nude with Scarf by Klimt depicts a woman viewed from behind as she turns her head to the right. Fine pencil strokes outline her bare back, right arm, and waist directly on the cream-colored sheet. Around her neck rests a voluminous scarf painted with dense patches of green, yellow, red, orange, and blue.
The vibrant scarf provides the main focus of color in the composition. Klimt rendered the woman’s hair in warm brown, pinned loosely atop her head. A brushstroke of opaque white gouache marks her lower torso. In the lower right area of the paper, the artist added his signature in pencil as “GUSTAV KLIMT.”
The story behind it
Klimt created this work in 1916 under the German title Sitzender Halbakt mit Schal. While he is widely celebrated for his oil paintings, works on paper form an essential branch of his artistic output.
The piece is cataloged among his drawings and watercolor studies. It shows how the artist used gouache and watercolor alongside bare graphite lines, letting the raw surface of the paper balance the vivid tones of the fabric.
Where to see it
Seated Semi-Nude with Scarf is currently in a private collection. Because an individual collector owns the sheet rather than a public art gallery, the original work is not on regular display in a museum.
Questions about Seated Semi-Nude with Scarf
How big is Seated Semi-Nude with Scarf by Klimt?
Seated Semi-Nude with Scarf by Klimt measures 50 centimeters in height by 32.5 centimeters in width. This vertical format matches the standing or seated pose of the female subject, providing ample negative space on the paper around her figure and around the colorful scarf draped across her shoulders.
What is Seated Semi-Nude with Scarf by Klimt made of?
Seated Semi-Nude with Scarf by Klimt is made of gouache and watercolor on paper. Klimt combined soft pencil lines for the woman's figure with rich gouache and watercolor pigments on her patterned scarf. An accent of white gouache appears along her back, while the surrounding paper remains unpainted.
