Male Semi-Nude, Rear View

• Egon Schiele (1890–1918)
• 1910
• Black chalk, gouache on paper
• Leopold Museum, Vienna

In 1910, Egon Schiele mostly worked with nudes and self-portraits, maturing into definitive Expressionism. He looked at himself in the mirror and studied various poses when painting self-portraits. This male semi-nude was likely also drawn in the process. The emaciated body, with its exaggerated proportions and contorted posture, was outlined with a few bold, expressive strokes. The shades of red, blue, and violet coloring the body and the cramped hands heighten the theatricality of this work.