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Lot Essay
"The year 1917, when Liegender Mädchenakt nach rechts, in ganzer Figur was executed, was exceptionally productive for Schiele. In January the artist had moved from Mähling to Vienna to take up a post in the city's Imperial and Royal Military Supply Depot. Notwithstanding this wartime employment, Schiele–who had painted and drawn relatively infrequently over the course of the preceding years–now turned his attention to the development of his artistic career with renewed vigor. The publication of a folio of reproductions–which sold out–and his participation in a number of group exhibitions during the year, meant that Schiele's work was becoming known to an ever-widening audience.
The same year also witnessed a notable increase in Schiele's depictions of the nude, as well as the consolidation of a stylistic shift that had already begun to manifest itself. This was a shift from the tense, febrile and angular lines that had formerly characterized his work to a concern with achieving a greater sense of realism and plasticity. This is here evident in the undulating lines and softly rounded forms of the figure in Liegender Mädchenakt nach rechts, in ganzer Figur, which are rendered in black Conté crayon producing a thicker and more even line than that of pencil. Indeed, as Jane Kallir has observed, "in terms of pure technical mastery, Schiele reached the height of his powers in 1917-1918. Linear perfection and painterly grace were balanced harmoniously" (Egon Schiele: Drawings and Watercolours, London, 2004, p. 448).
Depicted in a state of undress, the position of the recumbent model in Liegender Mädchenakt nach rechts, in ganzer Figur, her legs opening and her right arm looped under her neck, exhibits Schiele's penchant for capturing unusual and often provocative poses. This is enhanced by an ambiguous protrusion and the manner in which the folds of the model's undergarments fall across her chest.
The same year also witnessed a notable increase in Schiele's depictions of the nude, as well as the consolidation of a stylistic shift that had already begun to manifest itself. This was a shift from the tense, febrile and angular lines that had formerly characterized his work to a concern with achieving a greater sense of realism and plasticity. This is here evident in the undulating lines and softly rounded forms of the figure in Liegender Mädchenakt nach rechts, in ganzer Figur, which are rendered in black Conté crayon producing a thicker and more even line than that of pencil. Indeed, as Jane Kallir has observed, "in terms of pure technical mastery, Schiele reached the height of his powers in 1917-1918. Linear perfection and painterly grace were balanced harmoniously" (Egon Schiele: Drawings and Watercolours, London, 2004, p. 448).
Depicted in a state of undress, the position of the recumbent model in Liegender Mädchenakt nach rechts, in ganzer Figur, her legs opening and her right arm looped under her neck, exhibits Schiele's penchant for capturing unusual and often provocative poses. This is enhanced by an ambiguous protrusion and the manner in which the folds of the model's undergarments fall across her chest.