Description
Portrait of Johanna Staude is one of the last portraits of women that Gustav Klimt painted, in 1917 and 1918: a young woman with short dark hair and bright blue eyes looks straight at us, a black feather boa around her throat and a dress patterned with large blue leaves, set against a glowing orange-red background. The original hangs in the Belvedere in Vienna. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas, in six upright sizes from 60 x 90 to 110 x 160 cm or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
| Title: | Portrait of Johanna Staude |
| Other titles: | Johanna Staude · Ritratto di Johanna Staude · Portret Johanne Staude |
| Painter: | Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) |
| Year painted: | 1917/1918 |
| Original size: | 70 cm x 50 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Vienna Secession, late portrait |
| Located at: | Belvedere, Vienna (inv. 5551) |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, six upright sizes or made to measure |
Portrait of Johanna Staude – Gustav Klimt
What does the painting show?
A young woman is seen from the waist up, facing us directly. Her dark hair is cut short in the fashion of the time and falls in soft curls around her face; her skin is pale, her lips are red, and her blue eyes meet the viewer with a calm, slightly questioning look. Around her throat lies a thick black feather boa that frames the face like a dark collar.
Below it, the dress fills most of the canvas: a bold pattern of large leaves in light blue, violet and white, outlined in black. Behind her the background is a warm, almost burning orange-red, laid on in loose strokes. Towards the bottom the painting becomes freer and less finished, as if Klimt had only begun to work there, and that open, sketch-like edge gives the portrait a fresh, modern feeling.
A friend and model of Klimt
Johanna Staude was a young woman from Klimt’s circle in Vienna. The Belvedere notes that the painter was a friend of hers and that she probably sat for him on several occasions; Vienna’s address directories record her as a language teacher and an artist. She was not a famous society lady like many of his earlier sitters, and perhaps that is why the portrait feels so direct and personal.
For a buyer, her story adds something simple and likeable: this is not a commission for a wealthy family but a portrait of a friend, painted in the last months of Klimt’s life. Many owners like this portrait precisely because the woman looks like someone you could meet today.
Why the leaf pattern and the black boa?
Because Klimt used them to build the whole painting. The pattern of her dress follows a fabric of the Wiener Werkstätte, the Vienna design workshop, called “Blätter”, or Leaves. Klimt turned it into large, flat shapes of colour that sit on the surface like a decorative screen, a typical feature of his late portraits, in which clothing and background become ornament.
The black feather boa does the opposite: it is the darkest note in the painting and draws the eye up to the face. The result is a portrait in three clear zones – orange-red ground, blue patterned dress, dark boa around a pale face – that reads well from across a room and keeps its strength even in a small size.
Where is the original?
The original is an oil on canvas of 70 x 50 cm and belongs to the Belvedere in Vienna, inventory number 5551. It is one of the last portraits of women that Klimt worked on: he painted it in 1917 and 1918, and he died in February 1918, so parts of the canvas remained unfinished. More about the painter’s life is on Wikipedia.
If you plan a visit to Vienna, check on the museum’s website whether the painting is on display, because works are sometimes moved or lent. Our version is not a print: it is painted for you, by hand, at the size you choose.
Johanna Staude among Klimt’s portraits of women
Our gallery lets you follow how Klimt’s portraits of women changed over twenty years. The pale, misty Portrait of Sonja Knips stands near the start; the white, elegant Portrait of Hermine Gallia follows in 1904; the colourful Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II of 1912 shows the patterned style of his late years, which also fills The Dancer.
Johanna Staude is the smallest and most intimate of these portraits. Choose it if you want strong, warm colour in a modest format, a single face rather than a full figure; if you would rather have a tall, full-length portrait, Adele Bloch-Bauer II or Hermine Gallia will suit you better.
How do we paint the Portrait of Johanna Staude by hand?
The painter first draws the head, the boa and the outline of the dress, so that the face sits at the right height and the proportions match the original. Then the orange-red background is laid in with loose, visible strokes, because its vibration is part of the effect. The leaves of the dress follow, each shape painted flat in blue, violet and white and outlined in black.
The face and the blue eyes are painted last and with the greatest care, because they carry the whole portrait. Where Klimt left the lower part open and sketch-like, we keep it that way instead of inventing a finish he never painted. A printed oil painting reproduction flattens the brushwork; by hand, every stroke keeps its texture. Every painting is a hand-painted copy made for your order, so no two are ever quite the same.
There is no gold in this portrait, so we paint it in oil colours only, as Klimt did.
Which size for which wall?
Short answer: 60 x 90 or 70 x 100 cm for a narrow wall, a hallway or above a chest of drawers, 80 x 110 or 90 x 130 cm for a living room or bedroom wall, and 100 x 140 or 110 x 160 cm when you want the face to dominate a large wall. The original is smaller than all of them: 50 cm wide and 70 cm high.
There are six upright sizes: 60 x 90, 70 x 100, 80 x 110, 90 x 130, 100 x 140 and 110 x 160 cm, width first. They stay close to the upright proportion of the original, so the face and boa are not squeezed. A portrait with a strong gaze works best at eye level, where the woman looks back at you; as a painting for the living room, 90 x 130 cm gives her real presence above a sideboard or beside a bookcase.
Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 to 160 cm above the floor; above furniture, leave 20 to 30 cm between the top of the piece and the lower edge of the canvas.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If none of the six sizes fits your wall, we paint it to measure; keep it upright and close to the original’s proportion. Send us the width and height you want and we will quote a price and a lead time. Every painting we make is stretched over a wooden stretcher and ready to hang.
For the moulding, use our 3D application: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before deciding – the application is for choosing the frame only. If you would like to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room placement service. A slim black frame picks up the boa; a warm gold or natural wood frame echoes the orange-red background.
Delivery and guarantee
Every painting is made to order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship it stretched and protected for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve; if anything is not right, we correct it while the canvas is still in our workshop. Our returns policy applies to every order.
If it is a present and you do not know the right size, there is a wall art voucher. Every other Klimt work we paint is in the Gustav Klimt gallery, and there is more on the painter in our article ten interesting facts about Gustav Klimt.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original Portrait of Johanna Staude?
The original belongs to the Belvedere in Vienna, where it has the inventory number 5551. It is an oil on canvas of 70 x 50 cm, painted in 1917 and 1918. If you plan a visit, check the museum’s website first, because not every painting is on display every day and works are sometimes lent to other exhibitions.
Who was Johanna Staude?
Johanna Staude was a young Viennese woman and a friend of Klimt, who probably sat for him several times. Vienna’s address directories list her as a language teacher and an artist. Unlike many of his earlier sitters she was not a wealthy patron, which is one reason the portrait feels so personal and direct.
When did Klimt paint Johanna Staude?
Klimt worked on the portrait in 1917 and 1918, in the last months of his life. He died in February 1918, and the painting is one of the last portraits of women he worked on. That is why the lower part of the canvas is looser and less finished than the face and the boa.
Is the portrait of Johanna Staude unfinished?
Partly, yes. The face, the hair, the boa and most of the dress are fully painted, but towards the bottom the brushwork becomes open and sketch-like, because Klimt died before he could complete it. On our copy we keep that open edge as it is, instead of inventing a finish the original never had.
What is Johanna Staude wearing in the painting?
She wears a dress with a bold pattern of large blue, violet and white leaves outlined in black, based on a Wiener Werkstätte fabric called “Blätter”, meaning Leaves. Around her throat lies a black feather boa that frames her face. Her short dark hair follows the fashion of the time, which makes the portrait look surprisingly modern.
Is there gold in the portrait of Johanna Staude?
No, there is no gold in this portrait. Like most of Klimt’s late works it is painted in strong colours: orange-red, blue, violet, white and black. We therefore paint our version in oil colours only, without gold paint, so that the colour balance stays exactly as warm and bright as in the original.
Which size of Johanna Staude suits my wall?
For a narrow wall, a hallway or a spot above a chest of drawers, 60 x 90 or 70 x 100 cm works well. A living room or bedroom wall can take 80 x 110 or 90 x 130 cm, and 100 x 140 or 110 x 160 cm suits a large wall. All six sizes stay close to the upright proportion of the original.
Which room suits the portrait of Johanna Staude?
It suits a living room, a study, a bedroom or a hallway, anywhere you want warm colour and a face that looks back at you. As a canvas painting it brings life to white or grey walls and goes well with dark wood and black accents. In a small room choose 60 x 90 cm, in a larger one 90 x 130 cm.
Is the portrait of Johanna Staude a good gift?
Yes, for someone who loves portraits, strong colour or Klimt’s later style beyond the famous gold. Its moderate size fits most homes, and the direct gaze makes it a personal present. If you are unsure of the size, choose 70 x 100 cm, or give a voucher so that they can pick the painting and the size themselves.
- Subject: a young woman with short dark hair and blue eyes, a black feather boa and a blue leaf-patterned dress on an orange-red ground.
- Original: 1917/1918, oil on canvas, 70 x 50 cm, Belvedere, Vienna.
- Ours: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in six upright sizes or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
