Self portrait in a jerkin with right elbow raised 1914

This striking self-portrait was made by Egon Schiele, a master of angst, though it’s not dated. He's used watercolor and pencil on paper, with a limited palette of earthy reds and fleshy pinks. I can almost feel Schiele’s presence as he makes this piece. It’s like he is looking at himself in the mirror and isn’t afraid to face the truth. His red jerkin, or smock, seems thrown on, and his gaze is piercing, confrontational even. The body is strangely foreshortened and the elbow raised high, drawing attention to the physical contortions, I imagine Schiele twisting and turning in the mirror as he is painting. This distorted perspective makes me think about the challenges of self-representation and how artists use their own image to explore themes of identity and existence. He’s part of a longer conversation about what painting can do, what it means, and how it feels. His expression and gesture invites us to reflect on how painting can be an embodied and emotional act, opening up new ways of experiencing ourselves and the world.