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Lot Essay
Drawn in 1911, Stehendes Nacktes Mädchen is a superb example of Schiele’s growing assurance and command of line at the start of the decade. This year marked a turning point for Schiele’s artistic practice, as he began to distinguish himself visually from both the Secessionist movement and his mentor, Gustav Klimt. During this period, Schiele experimented with isolating his subjects against empty backgrounds. This approach was inspired in part by the compositions he encountered in Japanese prints and coincided with a change in medium from charcoal to pencil. As described by Jane Kallir, Schiele used “charcoal for much of 1910, but by the end of the year he ha[d] switched decisively to pencil which he [would] use almost exclusively for the next six years. This result[ed] in the strong, clean lines and crisp, angular contours that characterize drawings from late 1910" (J. Kallir, op.cit., 1998, p. 391).
In the present work, Schiele explores the erotic potential of the human form. With just a few lines, he masterfully conveyed these ideas, and his light touch gave the work an undeniable feeling of spontaneity, which was characteristic of Schiele’s practice at this time. As Otto Benesch recalled, "Schiele drew quickly…the pencil glided, as though propelled by the hand of a ghost, as in a game, over the white surface of the paper" (quoted in J. Kallir, Egon Schiele: Life and Work, New York, 2003, p. 88, no. 12).
Schiele’s spontaneity in mark-making also influenced the structure of his compositions. Although Schiele rarely depicted himself in his works, he implied his physical presence in Stehendes Nacktes Mädchen through the tightly cropped frame. The model’s feet disappear off the edge of the sheet, suggesting his close proximity to the model and imbuing the drawing with a heightened sense of intimacy—perhaps even confrontation. These subtleties encapsulated Schiele’s radical redefinition of figurative drawing, where his newfound focus on simplicity foregrounded the artist’s unique ability to transform line into raw emotion.
In the present work, Schiele explores the erotic potential of the human form. With just a few lines, he masterfully conveyed these ideas, and his light touch gave the work an undeniable feeling of spontaneity, which was characteristic of Schiele’s practice at this time. As Otto Benesch recalled, "Schiele drew quickly…the pencil glided, as though propelled by the hand of a ghost, as in a game, over the white surface of the paper" (quoted in J. Kallir, Egon Schiele: Life and Work, New York, 2003, p. 88, no. 12).
Schiele’s spontaneity in mark-making also influenced the structure of his compositions. Although Schiele rarely depicted himself in his works, he implied his physical presence in Stehendes Nacktes Mädchen through the tightly cropped frame. The model’s feet disappear off the edge of the sheet, suggesting his close proximity to the model and imbuing the drawing with a heightened sense of intimacy—perhaps even confrontation. These subtleties encapsulated Schiele’s radical redefinition of figurative drawing, where his newfound focus on simplicity foregrounded the artist’s unique ability to transform line into raw emotion.