I loved this exhibition. These are essentially rough life drawings, yet all of the work has a strong, weirdly contemporary look. His use of two or three colours (mainly red, black and blue) and spare, sparse, angular lines make his work look as if it could have been drawn yesterday. Some have an bold, graphic quality and, from the accuracy and confidence of the lines Schiele uses, it is hard to believe that they are just sketches. The splashes and pops of colour add to the representational feeling – Schiele is creating an image, not a likeness.
I was particularly drawn to the Woman in Boots with Raised Skirt (1918) – her knowing sensuality within such economy of line is a great example of Schiele’s ability to create images that just manage to steer away from merely titillating. Elsewhere, his nudes are vulnerable, yet defiant – like the Standing Nude with Stockings 1914. In general, I preferred the curves and voluptuousness of the female nudes but there is something incredibly compelling – and revolting in equal measure – about the male nudes, particularly the emaciated ones. See Erwin Dominik Osen (1910).
My take from it is partly about less being more – in terms of line and description – but also that there is a confidence which comes from knowing a craft as well as Schiele clearly does.
hannahbailey.org 