Sunflower 1909

Egon Schiele’s ‘Sunflower’ is made with oil on canvas. It’s a painting where each touch feels urgent. The sunflower's rich, brown centre with its halo of yellow petals sits atop a sturdy, slightly crooked stem. The leaves are these wonderful jagged shapes outlined in dark paint. The backdrop is a ghostly pale pink, giving it a slightly morbid, unsettling quality. You can see the influence of artists like Klimt in Schiele's work. It's not just a still life; it's a character study. I imagine Schiele, with his intense gaze, trying to capture the essence of this flower. It’s not just about what a sunflower looks like, but what it feels like to be a sunflower, reaching for the sun, yet rooted in the earth, vulnerable and strong all at once. Painting is like a conversation between artists across time. Each brushstroke is like a thought, building on what came before, pushing towards something new. It embraces uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.