Portrait of a Woman

"Portrait of a Woman" is a powerful color lithograph created by Egon Schiele in 1910. This pivotal work exemplifies the artist's rapid development during the peak of Viennese Modernism, demonstrating his movement away from the decorative Jugendstil influence of Gustav Klimt toward a distinctly raw and psychological Expressionist style. As a rare early print, this piece showcases Schiele's command of the lithography technique, allowing him to reproduce the nervous, sharp energy and angularity that define his revolutionary portraits.

The subject, one of the many penetrating portraits of women Schiele executed between 1910 and 1914, is rendered with characteristic intensity. Rather than focusing on external likeness or idealized beauty, Schiele employs minimal, decisive lines and carefully controlled color areas to convey a deep psychological state. The figure dominates the composition, often depicted with a sense of vulnerability or profound introspection characteristic of early 20th-century anxiety. Schiele’s unique approach allows the work to function both as an artistic exploration of form and as a psychological document of the era.

The quality and clarity of this particular impression confirm the importance of printmaking, particularly in 1910, to Schiele’s overall artistic output and dissemination. This significant color lithograph resides within the renowned collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Given the continued global interest in the Expressionist master, this work, like many important Schiele prints, remains a crucial reference point for understanding the trajectory of modern portraits and the explosive potential of Austrian art during this period.