Nude Self-Portrait in a Contorted Pose

• Egon Schiele (1890–1918)
• 1912
• Pencil on paper
• Leopold Museum, Vienna

The artist drew himself crouched, twisting his upper body, head, and left arm one way while his legs and buttocks go the other. His pose is highly contorted yet creates a curiously balanced composition. The lowered head with its expressive face and the right foot is rendered in detail. The furrowed brow, the few curly lines of the hair, and even the waviness of the body contours in some areas are characteristic of his style.