Two Girls 1911

Egon Schiele’s ‘Two Girls’ was painted in 1911, probably with a mix of watercolor and gouache. The colors feel urgent, almost violently thrown down, particularly that bright red. Imagine Schiele’s state of mind, obsessively drawing and redrawing the figures, layering color to try and catch the pose, the feeling, the weight of one figure clinging to another. It feels like he’s willing something into existence. I wonder about the raw canvas he's working on—it has an emotional rawness of its own. Those stark outlines and skeletal forms, it’s like he’s trying to peel back the surface and show us what lies beneath. Schiele’s marks have a certain intensity and it makes you consider the vulnerability of the human form. It’s a difficult piece, but that’s what makes it stick with you. You can see why someone like Francis Bacon would be interested in Schiele—both artists push the limits of figuration.