Nuda Veritas (Naked Truth) Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Description of Gustav Klimt’s painting "The Naked Truth"

"The Naked Truth" was a painting that shocked Klimt’s contemporaries. It was a defiant challenge to conservative attitudes and anyone who thought they could dictate to artists how to create. If so, with this work, the artist "showed his tongue" to his detractors.

The hero of the picture is a nude woman depicted full-length. Her body painted with a dramatic realism. A thick mop of red, wildly curly hair, daisies woven into her curls and a small mirror reflecting the truth are all elements of her image. The girl proclaims naturalness and spontaneity.

After the refined, idealistic subjects of the Renaissance, this bold, uncompromising image seemed vulgar to the public. Anticipating such reactions, Klimt complemented the canvas with a Schiller quote about liking everyone is evil. The author’s position sounded rather bright and straightforward, which irritated the conservative public.

Despite the lack of embellishments and flirty details, the woman’s image came out very expressive and provocative. She is confident, strong, and knows how to make an impression. The critics disagreed about the snake at her feet. According to one version, it is a symbol of sin, which always accompanies the carnal nature of man. According to another, it was Klimt’s way of pointing out his detractors who were jealous and scheming.

The background of the painting is quite simple. It is an abstract pattern on a blue background. The work is decorated in a gold frame. At the bottom is the title of the painting in Latin. The phrase Nada Veritas originally belongs to Horace and means the true state of things. The tradition of depicting truth in the form of a nude figure of a girl refers us to the ancient paintings, where the beauties walked naked in the beautiful gardens. However, the truth has never been so authentic.