Raw Sexuality

Egon Schiele (1890-1918)

In his brief life, the Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele, extended the boundaries of the nude. His work exudes raw sexuality to the extent that it becomes non sexual. He was a master of the line and the effects of exaggeration. The lines that define the thigh and torso, being a case in point. 

But as I know all too well, it is well-nigh impossible to carry a masterstroke throughout. With the raised left arm, Egon Schiele struggles and fails, just as I struggled and failed - albeit by an hair's breadth - in my painting of Annabelle. These are the problems that one faces when capturing the figure in motion. In voiding the ridged pose there arises the difficulty of remembering the whole figure as seen at the first fleeting glance. In my case, the model's turn continued after that initial vision, and my memory of the linkage between the left leg and buttocks became confused.