Selbstbildnis (recto); Skizze eines mnnlichen Aktes (verso)

The present work was executed in 1910, the turning-point of Schiele's career. It was during this year that the artist forged his wholly individual style, breaking free both of academic tradition and the influence of Klimt. The change in style coincided with a change in subject matter as portraiture and the figure attained an unprecedented prominence in his oeuvre. One catalyst in this transformation was the series of three large nude self-portraits he painted in the spring of 1910; subsequently, self-portraiture became a major subject in his work, especially in the drawings. Working before a full-length mirror, the artist drew dozens of images of himself, often nude or semi-nude. These drawings have a febrile intensity all but unique in the history of Western art.

With reference to the present drawing, Jane Kallir has written:

The large male nudes of early 1910 laid the groundwork for an extensive series of self-portraits, which rank among Schiele's profoundest achievements. As both vehicle and emblem, the artist simultaneously conducted and recorded his own psychological biopsy. With fearless virtuosity, he combined equal pats agonized introspection and self-conscious posturing... Haunted by death, yet driven by a passion for life, Schiele in these works reveals both vulnerability and bravado. It is here, above all, that his dualism--his ability to embody contradictions--is most eloquently expressed. (J. Kallir, op. cit., p. 75)