Girlfriends
Klimt moved away from the decorative scheme adopted in his Golden Period. A softer and delicate hue is dominant in place of bright gold. There is a lack of repeated patterning. A lesbian couple is portrayed in this painting. They are probably based on real people, but are not identifiable. One is exotically dressed with a turban while the other is naked with her pubic hair shown. They are standing against a background with motifs of flowers and birds in an Oriental style. The couple is posed intimately together. The women are gazing out tenderly at the spectator. They are not shying away from the viewers, but comfortably displaying their intimate relationship.
The original painting was destroyed by fire at the Immendorf Palace in 1945.