Woman with Long Hair 1911

Egon Schiele made this watercolor of a woman with long hair sometime before 1918. The warm hues of oranges, pinks, and purples create a delicate, almost dreamlike atmosphere. I wonder what Schiele was thinking when he let the colors bleed and merge like this? He’s known for these angular, raw, psychologically intense portraits. But here, the brushstrokes seem softer, more forgiving. Notice the texture, the way the watercolor pools in certain areas, creating depth and shadow. The thin washes of color allow the paper to peek through, giving it a translucent quality. It’s like he’s trying to capture not just her likeness, but her inner state, her vulnerability. It makes me think about other expressionist painters like, say, Edvard Munch, who also sought to convey intense emotion through color and form. It's all one big conversation through time. Ultimately, painting like this is about embracing ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations, and finding new ways of seeing and feeling the world.