Lyricist

• Egon Schiele (1890–1918)
• 1911
• Oil on canvas
• Leopold Museum, Vienna

In this work, executed in rapid brushstrokes without an under-drawing, Egon Schiele presents himself as a lyricist. He strikes a contorted pose: his head is unnaturally inclined to the left and surrounded by a white space, while his eyes are looking out sideways from under skeptically raised eyebrows. He is naked and pale except for a short black jacket, which visually blends in with the background. Below the left and holding onto the right wrist, the navel and the penis are depicted in red.