Two Girls on a Fringed Blanket 1911

Egon Schiele made this watercolor and gouache drawing of two figures on a fringed blanket sometime around 1916. Schiele's marks can feel really frantic and searching, like he's trying to capture something that's just out of reach, or that's constantly moving. Look at the way he's built up the surface with these nervous, scratchy lines. It's like he's mapping the emotional terrain of the scene as much as the physical forms. The colours are kind of muted and earthy, which adds to the sense of unease. Notice how the blanket's fringes are rendered with quick, repetitive strokes, like a visual echo of the girls’ tangled hair. There is something so raw and vulnerable about the way Schiele captures the human form. He reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, another artist who wasn't afraid to confront difficult subjects in her work. And, like her, Schiele embraces ambiguity, leaving us with questions rather than answers.