In his art, the 33-year-old German artist draws intimate sexuality in black lines with humour and a playful touch. In his paintings, he portrays sexuality as a game, a form of entertainment, and a way to express oneself.

Gustav Klimt's Sexual Drawings
Gustav Klimt’s Sexual Drawings

The viewer is given an intimate look at the intimate parts of the body, from the genitals to the groin.

Seated woman masturbating by Gustav Klimt

Klimt’s Seated Woman Masturbating was one of the first erotic paintings to show a seated woman engaged in self-pleasure. The artist employed white chalk to emphasize the negative space, including the female genitals. His unique approach to female intimacy changed the way we view erotic art. Klimt’s paintings were a radical departure from the usual patriarchal views of the time.

Klimt’s erotic drawings often depict nude women masturbating. These images were controversial, and Klimt was often at odds with viewers and critics for publishing them. The artist himself resisted criticism of these works, but a Viennese poet chose them for translation.

Klimt’s paintings were intended to be more than religious symbols. His works often showed a strong psychological and physical presence. He had received commissions for ceiling paintings in large public buildings. These were viewed as pornographic by some, and he soon stopped accepting public commissions. Nevertheless, Klimt’s work achieved fame and was influential for the work of other artists.

Gustav Klimt’s The Prayer

Gustav Klimt’s The Prayer sexual drawing is one of his most popular pieces, and it is often associated with sex and the human body. The loose drawing style and anonymous models of Klimt’s work contribute to the overall eroticism of his work.

Despite its popularity, Klimt’s The Kiss had limited influence on other artists. Younger Viennese artists, such as Hans Makart, were influenced by Klimt’s art, and many of them began to move away from realistic depictions of sexual love and moved towards abstract expressions. Egon Schiele, for example, was only 17 years old when he sought Klimt out. Schiele’s Cardinal and Nun (Caress) (1912) is clearly influenced by Klimt’s The Kiss.

Klimt’s work for public space prompted a storm of opposition in his day. He was accused of obscenity because of the sexual content of many of his paintings. The result was that he had to withdraw from several government commissions. His drawings, however, are no less provocative and are a clear expression of his considerable appetite for sexuality.

Gustav Klimt’s Seated Woman Masturbating

Gustav Klimt’s Seated Woman in Masturbation is a painting that has a lot of similarities to The Kiss, but differs in many ways. The painting depicts a woman masturbating, exposing the artist’s fascination with the erotic. Klimt did not include explicit erotic drawings, such as couples making love.

Gustav Klimt was born in 1862 near Vienna. He was the second of seven children. His father was a gold engraver and his mother a singer. Klimt studied painting, fresco, and murals at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts.

Klimt was an erotic painter and the heir apparent to Hans Makart. He completed several ceiling paintings at the University of Vienna. Klimt’s female subjects have a tremendous psychological and physical presence. Although Klimt’s Seated Woman in Masturbation is a controversial piece, the woman is a beautiful and intriguing subject.

Klimt’s approach was revolutionary. In a patriarchal society, he focused on the pleasure of women, handling female intimacy in unconventional ways. His art was one of the first to free women from shame.