Reclining Nude 1918

Egon Schiele made this nude drawing with pencil on paper. Schiele’s nudes were made in Vienna, a city on the verge of monumental change in the early 20th century. This was a time when artists challenged academic traditions of depicting the human body. Schiele's work stands out because he combined eroticism with emotional vulnerability, he exposed human emotion in ways that disrupted social norms around sexuality. The stark lines and distorted forms give us an intimate glimpse into the sitter's psyche. The cultural and institutional framework in which Schiele operated encouraged a move towards personal and subjective expression. This artwork wasn’t just about representing a nude body, it was also about questioning the traditional roles of art and representation. To understand Schiele fully, we need to consider the Viennese Secession, the rise of psychoanalysis, and the changing attitudes toward sexuality. Art history isn't just about aesthetics, it's about understanding the social and cultural forces that shape artistic creation.