Girl with Long Hair, with a sketch for 'Nude Veritas' 1899

Gustav Klimt made this drawing of a girl with long hair, with a sketch for ‘Nude Veritas’, using graphite and colored pencil. It comes from a time, around the turn of the twentieth century in Vienna, when artists were looking for new ways to represent the human body and human psychology. Klimt was one of the founders of the Vienna Secession, which challenged the conservative artistic establishment. This drawing shows a move towards a more open and honest portrayal of the female form, seen in the sketch of a nude figure in the background. Klimt’s work often explored themes of beauty, desire, and the female experience, reflecting the changing social attitudes toward women during this period. To fully appreciate Klimt's work, we can turn to period publications, exhibition catalogs, and biographical studies that help uncover the social and institutional contexts in which artists operate. This way we can start to appreciate how art reflects and influences broader cultural values.