Self-Portrait with Raised Bared Shoulder 1912

Egon Schiele made this self-portrait with oil on wood, and what strikes me is the rawness of the colors. It is like he is literally laying bare his soul. I can imagine him in the studio, wrestling with the paint, trying to capture the intensity of his gaze. The brushstrokes are so immediate and full of feeling. It's thick, like he's layering emotion right onto the surface. Look at how the lines around his eyes are formed with such dark paint. You can see a similar energy in the work of other expressionists like Munch. But there is an intimacy too, right? A vulnerability in the raised shoulder and the almost desperate look in his eyes. I think artists are always looking at each other, challenging each other across time. It is a conversation of form, feeling, and the human condition. And a painting like this, it's not just a statement, it's an invitation to participate in that conversation.