Venus von Willendorf 1918

Egon Schiele made this drawing, Venus von Willendorf, with crayon or charcoal on paper. Imagine him hunched over it, maybe in a small room, intensely focused on this ancient form, so full of fecundity. The line is strong and dark against a luminous yellow ground. Schiele’s mark-making is really direct, and the rawness of the form suggests that he wanted to get at something primal and essential. There is a very basic, almost childlike quality to the rendering; it reminds me of other artists such as Guston. Maybe Schiele was thinking about a return to origins, almost trying to go back in time by drawing her. The painting process is an amazing exchange across time, with artists finding inspiration in one another’s work. The drawing celebrates ambiguity, leaving room for us to interpret, to feel, and to connect with the artwork in our own way.