Mädchen mit rotem Rock 1918

This little painting, “Girl with Red Skirt,” was made by Egon Schiele at some point in his short life using watercolor and pencil. I love how simple it is, like a child’s drawing, but with this edgy, slightly creepy vibe. Schiele’s got these bold, almost clumsy lines that define the girl's form, but then he fills them in with these washy, transparent colors. Look at the red of the skirt, it's not just red, it's got all these variations, like he couldn't decide how red he wanted it to be. And that blue, it's so flat and cool against the warmth of the skirt, it's like a little color party happening right there. It's also fascinating to see those scribbly pencil marks poking through the watercolor. He makes me think of other artists who were also invested in representing the body like Alice Neel, who also drew people in a way that was honest and vulnerable. It's like he’s inviting us to see art not as a polished product, but as a process, a messy, beautiful experiment.