Nude with Violet Stockings and Black Hair (Akt mit violetten Strümpfen und schwarzem Haar)

Nude with Violet Stockings and Black Hair (Akt mit violetten Strümpfen und schwarzem Haar) by Egon Schiele is a powerful example of early 20th-century Austrian Expressionism, created in 1912. Classified as a drawing, this highly expressive work was executed using watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper. Schiele, known for his relentless exploration of the human body and raw psychological states, utilized the immediacy of the drawing medium to capture fleeting moments of emotional intensity and profound vulnerability. This period marks the artist’s definitive break from the refined ornamentation of the Vienna Secession, moving toward a severe, unvarnished emotional realism.

The composition is dominated by the female figure, rendered with Schiele’s distinctively angular and attenuated line work. The pencil and ink provide structural definition and sharp outlines characteristic of the artist’s style. The subject’s black hair dramatically frames a face whose intense, direct gaze confronts the viewer, emphasizing the piece's underlying psychological tension. The figure is positioned in an unconventional, even awkward posture that challenges traditional academic renderings of the nude. Contrasting with the starkness of the pose is the delicate application of watercolor, particularly evident in the striking violet color of the stockings, which lends a fragile, almost artificial element to the otherwise severe rendering.

Created shortly before the height of Schiele’s brief but prolific career, this 1912 work firmly places him within the milieu of Viennese modernism. The uncompromising subject matter and technique underscore the artist's focus on existential anxiety, a thematic concern central to the movement’s output. This important Austrian drawing resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), highlighting its significance in the history of Modern art. While the original is a unique object, the widespread impact of Schiele’s œuvre ensures that high-quality prints of his drawings are frequently sought by collectors, often made available through collections entering the public domain.