Reclining Woman with Blonde Hair 1912

Egon Schiele drew "Reclining Woman with Blonde Hair" using pencil and watercolor, and you can see how the looseness of the watercolor reveals an almost improvisational way of working. Schiele's drawings are so interesting because of the way he uses line – not just to define the edges of things, but to create these kind of spiky, angular forms. I love the way he contrasts these harsh lines with the softer washes of color. Look at the dark, almost brutal strokes around the woman's torso, and then notice how lightly he suggests the form of her legs. It's like he's trying to capture not just what she looks like, but also some deeper, more intense feeling. The almost feverish way he renders the hair, with these frantic strokes, is like a little abstract painting in itself. There’s definitely something of Klimt in his work, but Schiele takes it to this almost grotesque extreme. It’s definitely a conversation, not an imitation.