Portrait of Boda János 

Egon Schiele sketched this portrait of Boda János with graphite on paper around 1917. Notice the six-pointed stars on the subject's collar, common symbols of rank and authority. Consider the star. From ancient Mesopotamia, where it symbolized divinity, to its adoption in heraldry and state emblems across Europe, the star has consistently represented the heavens, guidance, and hierarchical power. These stars remind us of the constellations that have guided humanity across millennia, maps etched in the collective unconscious. And yet, here in Schiele's rendering, these symbols appear almost like fractured icons. Schiele captures a moment when traditional symbols of power are on the cusp of transformation. The stars, once emblems of solid authority, are now rendered with a nervous, wiry line, reflecting the instability and psychological tension of a world on the brink. The symbol has resurfaced and evolved, embodying a modern era's psychological complexities.