Self-Portrait with Raised Bare Shoulder

The face filled with horror: the mouth half open, the eyes are wide. Panic has been channeled into painting; the agitation evident even in the way the pigments were applied. In some areas Schiele used a brush, in others his fingertips. With the tip of the brush handle he scratched the "scar" on his forehead. The bare shoulder is turned directly towards the viewer. It appears as though it has been thrust up from the bottom edge of the painting. The head and hair are cut off by the top and right edges. The sense of being pressed into a corner is a universal human feeling.

We present today's masterpiece thanks to the Leopold Museum in Vienna, which owns the largest collection of Schiele's works.

P.S. Check out our funny article about the 10 times when Egon Schiele mastered hip hop hand gestures! :-D