The lady with fan by Gustav Klimt

The cultural shock caused by the discovery of Asian arts and Japonisme profoundly influence this sumptuous late composition by the artist. Within the painting entitled “The lady with fan”, the illustrious creator Gustav Klimt highlights the linear grace of an elegant woman surrounded by a profusion of Oriental decorative motifs. This painting stands out as a pure celebration of color and flatness, freeing itself from the constraints of three-dimensional space to magnify decorative beauty.

A young brunette woman is depicted standing in partial profile, her bare left shoulder revealing a milky and smooth skin of great delicacy. She wears a kimono heavily adorned with complex geometric patterns and holds before her a large dried palm fan decorated with colorful scenes. The background is entirely invaded by a saturated golden-yellow backdrop, scattered with traditional Chinese and Japanese figures such as a blue phoenix with spread wings and an orange bird. Superb pink and white lotus flowers with green leaves surround the silhouette, creating a vibrant chromatic frieze. Soft and uniform light floods the scene, eliminating cast shadows to emphasize the flatness of the composition.

The artist’s pictorial mastery reaches a pinnacle in the richness of the chromatic palette and the intensity of tone contrasts. His expert use of oil paint confers a high-quality realism upon the silky rendering of textiles and the texture of flowers. This exceptional artisanal expertise bears witness to absolute virtuosity.