Boating 1907

Egon Schiele made this painting, Boating, at an unknown date, probably with oil on canvas. What strikes me is how immediate this work feels, almost like a quick sketch. Schiele is using these gentle, soft-hued colours, and leaving plenty of breathing room around the figures, which really invites me in. The way Schiele handles the paint in this piece is interesting too. It’s not about precision or hiding the process, but more about capturing a fleeting moment. Look at the water, those loose, broken brushstrokes – you can almost feel the boat rocking gently. And then there's that dark, almost graphic outline of the boat itself, which kind of anchors the whole scene. It makes me think of other artists like Manet, who also weren’t afraid to leave things a little rough around the edges. For me, it’s a good reminder that art isn’t about perfection; it’s about feeling, about seeing, and about letting the process itself become part of the story.