Standing Male Nude with Arm Raised, Back View

The powerful drawing, Standing Male Nude with Arm Raised, Back View, was created by Egon Schiele in the pivotal year of 1910. This early work exemplifies Schiele's intensive focus on the human form, rendered through a combination of fragile watercolor washes and bold charcoal line work on paper. The choice of medium allows for both the gestural immediacy of charcoal and the translucent quality of the applied color, underscoring the figure’s vulnerability.

Characteristic of the artist's output from the period 1910, the figure is depicted from the back, allowing Schiele to emphasize the stark contours of the musculature and the prominent delineation of the spine. The model's tension is palpable, conveyed through the strained position of the raised arm and the angular, almost tormented line defining the body's silhouette. This raw psychological intensity is a hallmark of Schiele’s contribution to Austrian Expressionism, distinguishing his interpretation of the nude from earlier, more idealized academic traditions. Schiele consistently utilized the nude figure as a vehicle for exploring deep psychological states rather than pursuing strictly classical or decorative ideals.

The piece is a crucial document of the artist’s rapid stylistic development during this era, when he moved away from the influences of his mentor, Gustav Klimt, to establish his own distinctive and often unsettling visual language. As a key example of the Austrian master’s graphic intensity, the work today resides in the esteemed Drawing and Prints collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Its historical significance ensures that high-quality prints and reproductions remain essential resources for students and scholars studying early 20th-century European art.