“To every age its art, to every art its freedom”. These words still appear today under the golden dome of the Secession Building in Vienna. Built by Joseph Maria Olbrich, its construction was promoted by a group of over forty artists who in 1897 were led by Gustav Klimt in their effort to separate themselves from the traditional and conservative Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Klimt was one of the key figures in the dissolution of what had come to be known as “end of the century Vienna”, a decadent period marked by its refinement, aestheticism, and exquisiteness taken to the extreme. Klimt’s paintings are centered on motifs such as life, love, and death. Nevertheless, the artist adopted the female figure as one of his main subjects of interest. Since his portrayal of Judith I in 1902, the women he depicted seem unable to elude the influence of Judith’s majestic figure.

Seated Lady with Hat is also influenced by said painting, albeit taking into account the spontaneous and expressive nature that is inherent to drawing. Marked profusely in blue pencil, the upper part of the model seems defiant and lost in thought, in a posture that suggests she is seated, yet appears to be suspended in nothingness instead. Highlighted in red, her mouth becomes the center of attention and the drawing’s sensual focal point. Her eyebrows frame a set of eyes that are half shut, which adds considerable liveliness and strength to a feminine figure reminiscent of a secular goddess, halfway between a dangerous Lilith and a sweet Eve.