Standing Woman 1908

Egon Schiele's ‘Standing Woman’ is a small but powerful drawing in gouache, likely made in Vienna. The woman's purple robe, which is almost like a shell or a protective layer, is fascinating. You can sense the touch of the artist, the pressure of the brush or crayon as he builds up the layers of color. I find myself focusing on the small, raw opening in the robe. The exposed flesh is this jolt of vulnerability within the regal and somewhat theatrical presentation. The surface of the paper seems to be almost blushing with the subtle pink wash of the background, contrasting with the sharp, decisive lines defining the woman's profile. The marks and stains, the thinness of the paint, they all feel very intimate. Schiele’s economy of means here reminds me of a Matisse drawing, but the emotional temperature is something else entirely. Schiele had a gift for distilling human experience into these incredibly potent images, capturing something fleeting yet enduring about what it means to be alive.