Man with Blue Headband and Hand on Cheek 1909

This is Egon Schiele’s self-portrait, made with pencil and gouache. The muted palette and tentative lines create a sense of unease, don’t they? I can imagine Schiele in the studio, holding the paper, making marks, rubbing them out, adding more. See how the blue is almost electric, a shocking contrast to the fleshy tones of the figure, which are vulnerable and exposed. That blue headband is like an enforced order, a kind of self-imposed regulation of the artist's own psyche. It’s such a strong color, it seems to be holding the whole thing together. Look at the way the hand covers part of the face, how it distorts the features. What was Schiele thinking when he made this gesture? Was he hiding, or revealing something? And is it just me, or does this portrait evoke others, like Munch's self-portraits, as if all these artists are in conversation with each other?