Seated Woman in Corset and Boots

About this artwork

Egon Schiele'sSeated Woman in Cors and Boots* (1918), a striking crayon drawing on paper, captures the raw intensity of the human form during the artist's final year of life. As a leading figure in early 20th-century Austrian Expressionism and the Vienna Secession movement,iele was renowned for his unflinching portrayals of the body, often laced with eroticism and psychological depth. This work, measuring 19 11/16 × 12 7/8 inches, depicts a seated female figure in a provocative pose—her corset unlaced and boots accentuating her vulnerability—reflecting the turbulent end of World War I and Schiele's own preoccupation with mortality, as he succumbed to the Spanish flu pandemic that same year. Schiele's masterful use of crayon allowed for bold, jagged lines and vivid contrasts, creating a sense of immediacy and emotional turbulence on the modest paper support. His signature style—elongated limbs, angular contours, and piercing gaze—distorts anatomy to convey inner turmoil rather than ideal beauty, challenging traditional portraiture and aligning with Expressionist goals of evoking raw feeling over realism. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Modern and Contemporary Art Department through the bequest of Scofield Thayer in 1982, this drawing exemplifies Schiele's enduring influence on modern art. It invites viewers to confront the complex interplay of desire, fragility, and defiance in the female form, making it a poignant highlight for those exploring the bold innovations of Vienna's avant-garde.