Nude with Red Garters 1911

Editor: Here we have Egon Schiele’s "Nude with Red Garters" from 1911, done in watercolor and oil. I'm struck by the raw, almost confrontational gaze of the subject, and the vulnerability created by Schiele's deliberately unflattering lines. What's your take? Curator: It’s impossible to look at this without considering Vienna at the turn of the century. The Expressionists were pushing against societal norms, particularly around sexuality and the human form. Think about the social anxieties surrounding the burgeoning field of psychoanalysis and the explosion of new ideas about sexuality being debated openly, perhaps for the first time. Does that reading resonate with what you see? Editor: Definitely! It's almost like Schiele is taking those anxieties and throwing them back at the viewer, daring us to look away. It's interesting that he seems to reject the idealized form we often see. Curator: Exactly. And it's worth considering who this "viewer" might have been in 1911 Vienna. How would it have been viewed in different public or private settings, and who was likely commissioning or purchasing these pieces at this moment? Editor: So, by not flattering the subject, he is rebelling against the expectations, or the market. But I can't help but also read a sense of...exploitation, maybe? Curator: And there's a political dimension there. Consider who has the power to represent and who is being represented, especially regarding the female nude. The female body was used extensively for commercial and patriarchal ends during that time. Is he subverting or contributing to the exploitation? This is one of those key, vital tensions. Editor: Wow, I hadn't really considered the power dynamics at play, but that completely changes my view of the piece! I guess there’s always more than meets the eye. Curator: Precisely! It makes one reconsider our own positioning as viewers too. Always questioning!