To say I love Schiele is an understatement. Very few artists have influenced my opinion on the relevance of the nude in art, or my desire to be a part of the creative process as much as he has. His work is sexually liberated while at the same time, seemingly acknowledges the turmoil of passion and despair. These are not classical nudes, polished for the comfortable viewing of the idealistic romantic or conservative bourgeois art aficionado. These are portraits of human sexuality and visceral emotion and action, at times shy and at times unapologetically bold. They are human, and they are what I meditate on when I’m rearranged into classical reclining poses and modest stances at life drawing sessions.
‘Kniender Halbakt’ by Egon Schiele, 1917
