100% Hand-Painted Oil
Gustav Klimt paints Judith at half-length, eyes half-closed, holding the severed head of Holofernes in her lower right hand. The figure is set against a vertical ornamental gold band; a thin black cho...
- TryArtWork
- Catalog
- Artists
- Gustav Klimt
- Judith I 1901
-
✈️ Free Worldwide Shipping & Production Times
-
🛡️ 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee & Returns
-
🎨 100% Hand-Painted Oil Art
Our benefits
-
-
Free Worldwide Shipping -
Museum-Quality Standards
Features
“Judith I 1901”
by Gustav Klimt
| Overview | |
|---|---|
|
Author
|
|
|
Color
|
Gold,
White,
Black,
Green,
Blue,
Yellow
|
|
Tags
|
abstract,
figures,
Gustav Klimt,
gold,
patterns,
nude,
art nouveau
|
Did you see an error in the description or specifications? Let us know about it!
Report an error
Description
“Judith I 1901”
by Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt paints Judith at half-length, eyes half-closed, holding the severed head of Holofernes in her lower right hand. The figure is set against a vertical ornamental gold band; a thin black choker runs across her throat. The colour is held to warm flesh of the body, deep saturated gold of the ornament and the dark brown of the head she carries.
The painting belongs to Klimt's early ornamental period of 1901 and is one of the most reproduced single-figure canvases of Vienna Secession art. The contrast between the polished sensual figure and the violence of the held head is part of the picture's argument.
As a hand-painted canvas reproduction, the saturated gold ornament and the soft modelling of the flesh depend on real paint to keep their balance — print tends to flatten the gold into a single uniform yellow. The picture suits a private sitting room, a dressing area, a small study, or a wall opposite a single chair. A slim dark wood or thin aged-gilt frame is the most coherent pairing. The hand-painted version differs from a print in small surface details by design.
Collector's Guide PDF
“Judith I 1901”
by Gustav Klimt
Reviews
“Judith I 1901”
by Gustav Klimt
Q/A
“Judith I 1901”
by Gustav Klimt
Experts answer questions
Frequently Asked Questions
-
What does Gustav Klimt depict in Judith I?
-
What visual qualities make Judith I one of Klimt's most powerful works?
-
What is the historical and fin-de-siècle context of the femme fatale in Klimt's work?
-
What atmosphere does a print of Judith I create in a home?
Additional Information
“Judith I 1901”
by Gustav Klimt
- Quotes
- Interesting facts
- Best Rooms & Interior Pairings
- Hand-Painted Reproduction Notes
- Composition, Colors & Visual Details
“Klimt’s Judith is not a heroine — she is a force of nature, part woman, part goddess, entirely dangerous.” — Vienna Secession catalogue, 1903
“The gold, the parted lips, the half-closed eyes — Klimt made the moment after violence more erotic than violence itself.” — Erotic Art in the 20th Century, 1987
#1. Gold as Language. Klimt applied real gold leaf to Judith I — a technique inspired by his study of Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna. The shimmer of gold makes the painting vibrate between icon and erotic fantasy.
#2. Judith or Salome? When first exhibited, many viewers assumed the painting depicted Salome — another biblical femme fatale. Klimt insisted it was Judith. The ambiguity is deliberate: both figures represent female power over male vulnerability.
#3. The Model Was a Real Person. Art historians believe Judith was modelled on Adele Bloch-Bauer, a Viennese socialite and Klimt’s most important patron — the same woman who appears in his famous Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, which sold for $135 million in 2006.
A sitting room or dressing room, or a bedroom brings out the gold, white, and black palette. Hang it at standard viewing height so the painted detail rewards a close look. Pair it with leather chairs and matte black frames for a rustic room. Place it in a private space rather than a public-facing one; the work was made for intimate viewing. Hang it where it is the first thing the eye reaches when entering the room.
A painter handling this work focuses first on the modeling of the face and hands, then on the texture of fabric folds. Underpainting carries the structure; the visible layers above it carry the color and life. Figure work asks for confident modeling — the eye reads tone, not outlines. Hand-painted oil on canvas reproduces the surface the original is known for. The aim is a painting that holds up to repeated looking, not a one-time impression.
The painting reads as a contained study of the figure. A palette of gold, white, black, and green carries the painting, with subtle shifts holding the surface alive. The painter leans on tonal value, with light treated as a quiet structural element. Brushwork is consistent across the scene, the touch held in steady register. The arrangement reads cleanly at distance and continues to hold attention at close range. The painter holds value control across the picture rather than relying on local contrast.
