Standing Woman in Red 1913

Egon Schiele made this sketch of a standing woman in red, we don’t know exactly when, or even with what! But look at the way he’s really gone at it here; it’s all about process and mark making. The paper has these beautiful warm hues, and the red ink sort of hovers on the surface. It’s so physical! You can almost feel the scratch of the pen. It makes me want to dive right in with my paints and see what happens. Take her legs, for instance, how they taper and twist. There’s so much energy in those lines. It’s as if the drawing is about to burst into flames. Schiele reminds me a bit of Marlene Dumas, that same rawness and intensity. Ultimately, it's not about a perfect rendering, but a conversation. It’s like they’re saying, "Here’s what I see, what do you see?"