Girl in the Foliage

• Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)
• c. 1898
• Oil on canvas
• Klimt-Foundation, Vienna

Gustav Klimt knew the importance of understanding innovative forms of art from other countries in developing a new style of art. Influences of Impressionism are evident in his portraits from the late 1890s, as in this work. The sitter, wearing a fashionable hat and a white blouse with puffed sleeves, looks out at the viewer with her light blue eyes. The thick, pastose touches to the dense green backdrop and the sleeves add vivid texture to the painting.