Head of Dr. Fritsch 1917

This is Egon Schiele's "Head of Dr. Fritsch," probably made with pencil and watercolor. I like to think that Schiele might have started with the eyes—those piercing, light blue eyes that lock you in. It is like he is seeing something we don't. I can imagine Schiele, restless and intense, rapidly sketching the contours of the face, trying to capture the essence of Dr. Fritsch. He builds up the skin tones with thin washes of watercolor. Look at those tiny marks of red and brown, like freckles or capillaries, that give the face so much character. There’s a raw honesty to the work. It’s like Schiele is stripping away the surface to reveal something deeper, more vulnerable. You can really see Schiele’s influence from other artists like Klimt, but he’s pushing it further, into a space of discomfort and psychological intensity. It’s all part of the same conversation, this ongoing exchange of ideas and approaches that keeps painting alive and kicking!