Standing Woman 1908

Egon Schiele’s “Standing Woman” lives in a private collection and is painted using watercolor and pencil. Imagine Schiele, leaning over this small, intimate scene. The woman, draped in purple, almost melts into the backdrop; like she’s emerging from the ether. The color is thinned out to a watercolour wash, so transparent, giving her an ethereal, transient quality. I can feel his hand moving lightly, almost nervously. The angularity and distortion he is known for is softened here. Her profile and the overall composition makes me think of Klimt, his mentor, but it’s more reserved, maybe even vulnerable. Think of the conversation between artists over time, like echoes in a vast, interconnected gallery. Schiele is riffing on Klimt, pushing, pulling, making it his own. Painting, for Schiele, was this embodied expression, full of uncertainties, open to multiple interpretations. It's a testament to how painting can transform and transcend the self.