Black-Haired Girl with Lifted Skirt 1911

Editor: Okay, next up we have Egon Schiele’s “Black-Haired Girl with Lifted Skirt," made in 1911 using ink and watercolor on paper. It’s quite raw and feels unfinished, and it’s difficult to view without feeling... something. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Looking at Schiele's process, the application of ink and watercolor is deliberately stark, highlighting the fragility of the female body as a commodity within the Viennese art scene. Notice how the figure is presented. Is this raw vulnerability a reflection of societal consumption of the female form, stripped bare, or a means of artistic and commercial defiance? Editor: That's interesting. So you're suggesting that the sketch-like quality and the, frankly, confrontational pose, could be Schiele's commentary on how women were being 'used' in art at the time? Curator: Precisely. Consider the availability of materials like paper and ink versus oil paints. Was this choice purely economical, or does it also reflect a desire to quickly capture fleeting moments, reflecting the transient nature of labor and sexuality in a rapidly changing industrial world? Editor: Hmm. I always just assumed he was being provocative for the sake of it, but framing it within the means of production, as almost a rushed product reflecting social attitudes, really opens it up. Curator: And what about the "craft" elements present: the intimate and explicit portrayal challenges accepted class divisions that existed in visual language at the time, and elevates it as fine art by being thought provoking. The image leaves the viewer wondering how the means and circumstances of its making alter the viewing. Editor: I'll definitely think differently about Schiele and his methods from now on, now I know it has roots deeper than the mere physical! Thank you for your thoughts! Curator: It has been enlightening.