Dancer 1913

This is Dancer by Egon Schiele and the first thing I notice is the way he’s used a restrained palette of muted tones and delicate lines, capturing a poignant moment of introspection. I’m imagining Schiele, his hand hovering over the page, deciding whether to commit to a line or let it fade. It’s like he's mapping out the contours of the dancer's inner world as much as her physical form. The thin washes of color feel provisional, like fleeting emotions captured in pigment. Schiele leaves so much unsaid, suggesting rather than dictating, making the viewer work a little, and inviting us to project our own feelings onto the image. You see the same desire to delve beneath the surface in the work of other artists, like Jenny Saville, or Marlene Dumas. It’s all one big conversation, really. Painting is not just about what you see, it's about feeling, embodying, and opening up possibilities.