Lot Essay
Executed circa 1901-03, this is a study for a figure in the Medicine panel of the University of Vienna ceiling commission.
Gustav Klimt was to paint three corners representing Philosophy, Jurisprudence and Medicine. Klimt's designs were rejected by the committee, however, and the commission was never completed. The controversy over the University of Vienna ceiling paintings marked the break between Klimt and his circle and the Viennese artistic establishment, and was a turning point in the development of the Viennese avant-garde. For a similar drawing see Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt, Die Zeichnungen 1878-1903, Salzburg, 1980, vol.I, p.99,no.671
Gustav Klimt was to paint three corners representing Philosophy, Jurisprudence and Medicine. Klimt's designs were rejected by the committee, however, and the commission was never completed. The controversy over the University of Vienna ceiling paintings marked the break between Klimt and his circle and the Viennese artistic establishment, and was a turning point in the development of the Viennese avant-garde. For a similar drawing see Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt, Die Zeichnungen 1878-1903, Salzburg, 1980, vol.I, p.99,no.671