Self Portrait with Outstretched Arms 1911

Egon Schiele made this self-portrait with watercolor in 1911. Just look at those outstretched arms, like he's trying to break free from the confines of the paper. It's all done with such swift, confident strokes. I can imagine him, brush in hand, intensely focused, letting the colors bleed and blend, creating a figure that seems both present and dissolving. The palette of earthy browns and reds gives the work a raw, almost visceral feel. You can almost feel the weight of his jacket, but then, the washes are so thin, so transparent, that it's also like a ghost, something ephemeral. Notice how the pink around the ears doesn't quite meet the edge, but instead, floats freely next to his skin. Schiele's figures always struck me as vulnerable, like he’s baring his soul to us, holding nothing back. Artists are always responding to one another, across time. Schiele makes me think of another Austrian, Oskar Kokoschka, who was similarly invested in psychological portraiture. Painting is an act of constant questioning, a search for meaning in the chaos of existence. And, it reminds us that there are no fixed answers, only endless possibilities.