Das Schlafende Mädchen 1913

Egon Schiele made this drawing, Das Schlafende Madchen, probably with pencil and gouache. Look at the burnt orange color, how it grounds the figure with a kind of earthy energy. I’m really drawn to the thin lines that suggest the outline of the dress. They are drawn so intuitively, feeling around the form without fully defining it. It’s like Schiele is letting the drawing breathe, allowing for multiple possibilities to emerge. You can almost feel him shifting his weight, adjusting his gaze, as he coaxes the image into being. I can imagine Schiele being totally absorbed, lost in the act of looking and translating. I can feel the physicality of the pose, the weight of the body, the texture of the fabric, all captured with such sensitivity and precision. This drawing reminds me that art is a conversation, a dance between the artist, the subject, and the viewer. It is a collaboration across time and space.