Two Seated Girls 1911

Egon Schiele made this watercolor, Two Seated Girls, probably around 1911, and I’m struck by the way he’s pieced together these two figures like a collage of color and form. Schiele lays down these blocks of color, translucent and washy, letting the paper breathe through. Look at the earthy oranges and greens, how they bleed into each other, creating a sense of unease or maybe an atmosphere of something unknown. The girls' legs become just these simple strokes of blue and white. The blue hues of their faces is echoed throughout their bodies and clothing which gives the painting an underlying visual harmony. It's like Schiele is showing us that painting is a process of feeling and seeing, not just about replicating reality. He reminds me a bit of Kokoschka, another Austrian Expressionist, both artists use color and line to dig deep into the human psyche. It’s art that invites us to feel, to question, and to linger in the space of uncertainty.