Geknickte Leiter 1918

Egon Schiele made this wonky ladder out of what looks like black ink on a thin, tea-stained paper. The ladder's got this beautiful, almost clumsy energy, like it's been through a lot, but is still hanging on. I love the way Schiele doesn't try to hide the imperfections; you can see the texture of the paper, the way the ink bleeds a little. The black outline isn’t precise. It's honest, you know? Like he’s saying, "Here it is, take it or leave it." There’s a little splotch of orange on the left, like a little accident that works. And that ladder, bent as it is, still feels like it wants to reach somewhere. Maybe Schiele is thinking about Vincent van Gogh and his Potato Eaters or Old Man in Sorrow; these artists speak to each other across time, questioning, reaching, and never quite arriving.