Sitzendes Mädchen mit ausgestrecktem Arm und Bein 1913

This is a drawing of a seated girl made by Egon Schiele with what looks like graphite on paper. Schiele's line is so edgy, you can feel the scratch of the pencil digging in. I imagine him, nervous, intensely focused, trying to capture the essence of this figure. It's not just about representing what he sees, but what he feels. The way he renders her body, there's a raw vulnerability, a kind of awkwardness and honesty that's very intimate. The leg is outstretched, almost reaching, while the arms are folded inward, protective. You can see the influence of artists like Klimt, but Schiele takes it somewhere more visceral. It’s as if he's pushing against the decorative, trying to find something more authentic in the human form. I can feel the ongoing dialogue about the body in art, each artist responding to and challenging the other across time.