One of the most difficult things beginner and expert artists struggle with is the portrayal of the human figure. This is a struggle I relate to personally; my figure drawing has improved over the years but I still cannot say I am particularly pleased with any of the figure drawings I do. They are disproportionate, sloppy, and almost always anatomically incorrect. One of the best ways to learn figure drawing is to study poses, specifically poses where the subject is contorted or in motion. Obviously, human life is never frozen. It is always in motion, so the best way to learn to give life to a human subject is to draw them as so. I’ve developed my figure drawing this way over time, while also drawing on the styles of different artists that I find along the way. One of the artists I especially aspire to draw similarly to is Egon Schiele.
Egon Schiele was an Austrian artist who belonged to the modernist movement of Expressionism, which originated within his lifetime in the 20th century. I say within his lifetime because Schiele lived a tragically short life, passing away at the young age of twenty eight to influenza. However, within this time, he managed to produce upwards of 200 professional pieces. Schiele was a diverse artist, but his specialty lay in his unique portrayal of the human figure. When looking at Schiele’s work, you can immediately see the influence of the Expressionism movement. Expressionist pieces are known for their unconventional approach to portraying subjects, as they focus more on conveying emotion rather than physical reality. Schiele’s portrayals of the human body are cleverly exaggerated, giving the subjects more fluidity and expressiveness. Even his pieces that depict subjects standing still manage to illustrate instability.
My favorite work from Schiele is “Standing Male Nude with a Red Loincloth”, a rather bland name for an otherwise extraordinary artwork. It depicts a nude man, covered by a red loincloth. His right hand rests on his head, while the other holds his head up and forces it to his shoulder. When I draw figures, I find that my subjects look lifeless, deflated, and square. Unlike my art, Schiele’s portrayal of the male subjects in this piece is somehow both anatomically correct and abstract. The figure’s arms are unconventionally angular but still human. Although the red loincloth’s colorful vibrance distracts from the actual subject, this helps remind us that the subject of the piece is not actually the man, it is the motion. The piece doesn’t necessarily have a different meaning, but it serves its purpose by offering a different approach to analyzing the human body’s versatility. Also, by choosing a contorted pose, Schiele can help portray the pain that is seemingly felt by the subject. I believe this idea is intensified by the bright red color of the loincloth. I think that beginner and intermediate artists can get a lot from just examining and attempting to replicate Schiele’s style. His art teaches us that we can stray away from convection and explore how the world around us is animated, rather than just how it looks. His rebellion against realism helps viewers question how they perceive reality, unlocking the unconscious mind.
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