Semi Nude with Colored skirt and Raised Arms 1911

Egon Schiele made this nude with watercolor and pencil, but when, who knows? He was always working. Look at the way Schiele outlines the figure, but then the watercolor bleeds beyond the lines! It's like the body is not contained, a process of becoming. I love how the red skirt is just a block of color, but the green beneath it is all drippy and alive. The surface is so tactile. The paper has a stain and the colors are translucent, it’s like you can feel the physical struggle Schiele went through making the art. It’s like you can smell the pigment and see Schiele’s hand on the paper. I am also drawn to the knee, there is a splotch of pink and blue, like the knee is bruised, vulnerable. Schiele's work reminds me of Francis Bacon, the way they both distort the human form, pushing the boundaries of representation. It reminds us that art is not about perfection but about expressing the raw, messy reality of being alive.