Two Women Friends Reclining 1900 - 1910

This is a pencil drawing of two women friends reclining, by Gustav Klimt. When I look at this, I’m drawn to the way Klimt coaxes form out of such delicate, tentative lines. It's almost like he’s feeling his way through the space, letting the figures emerge gradually. What’s striking is how the softness of the pencil lends itself to the intimacy of the scene. You can almost feel the closeness between the women in the gentle curves and subtle gradations of tone. Look at the way the lines thicken and thin, suggesting the weight and volume of their bodies. And notice how the shading around their shoulders and hips creates a sense of depth and dimensionality, even though the drawing is so spare. The subtle detail of the folds in the fabric beneath them almost hides in the looseness of the sketch. It reminds me a bit of Schiele, another Austrian artist who was working around the same time, in the way it captures the vulnerability and sensuality of the human body. It's like a quiet conversation between friends, captured in a fleeting moment.