Standing Girl, Back View
Original title: Standing Girl, Back View
kurzbeschreibung
Egon Schiele's Standing Girl, Back View dates from 1908 and presents an abstracted female figure seen from behind. It is executed in a mixed technique of opaque watercolor and watercolor over graphite on paper, measuring 31.4 × 23.2 cm.
Description
The figure stands upright at the center of the image, her head rendered as a blue circle. A blue dress falls from the waist down, while the arms, in an orange tone, bend dynamically to the left. Purple legs end in white shoes. The background remains a plain beige with no details.
Context
In 1908, Schiele broke away from the Secession in Vienna, and especially from Gustav Klimt, developing his own expressive style. During this period he experimented with simplified forms and bold areas of color that often abstracted the human figure. This sheet belongs to a series of studies in which he explored the back view as a motif—a recurring theme in his oeuvre.
Impact
The restriction to flat colors and the stylized rendering create a calm, almost meditative mood. At the same time, the abstracted posture of the figure gives it a tension that prompts the viewer to look closely.
Technique
Opaque watercolor and transparent watercolor are combined over a graphite drawing. The colors are applied in flat areas, and the contours appear soft and fluid, lending the sheet a painterly lightness.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)