Lilly Steiner 1918

Here's a drawing, Lilly Steiner, by Egon Schiele. It’s just a few lines on paper, and already, the woman comes alive! The drawing feels like an event, a moment pulled from time. Look at the marks around the shoulder, that lacy kind of line; Schiele uses that same squiggle to describe the hair. So simple, so efficient. Each line vibrates with energy, never quite meeting, never quite closing, like an electrical circuit barely connected. It’s amazing how much emotion can be conveyed with so little. I always feel like when I'm looking at Schiele, I'm looking at Kokoschka. There’s something about the raw intensity and the exploration of the human condition that links them, even though their styles are so different. But, maybe that's just me seeing connections where I want to see them. Either way, it's a good reminder that art is never created in a vacuum. It’s always part of a bigger conversation.