Squatting Woman
Original title: Squatting Woman
kurzbeschreibung
This 1914 drypoint departs from many of Schiele's nude studies by giving us a kneeling woman with her arms raised above her head. Executed as a drypoint, the sheet belongs among the artist's more forceful treatments of the body.
Description
A woman kneels, both arms stretched high over her head. She wears a knee-length dress, her hair gathered into a bun. Black and white governs everything here; the figure is defined almost entirely by line. Fine parallel strokes fill the ground behind her with a textured surface. The layout is centered, which draws the eye to her animated pose.
Context
Schiele made this etching in 1914, during a period of intense engagement with the human body. It came about in Vienna, where after his imprisonment in 1912 he turned increasingly to printmaking. Drypoint appealed to Expressionists because it allowed for immediate, spontaneous line.
Impact
The forceful linework and the unusual pose give the figure a dynamic yet vulnerable presence. Shadows are absent; even light emphasizes her form and produces a direct, penetrating effect.
Technique
In drypoint the lines are scratched straight into the copper plate, which yields a soft, velvety printed character. The plate measures 48.3 × 31.4 cm, the paper 52.7 × 39.4 cm. Monochrome handling and delicate background lines are characteristic of Schiele's graphic work.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)