The Dancer
1913
Egon Schiele's 'The Dancer' from 1913 is a wild, twisted figure that looks more like a marionette with its strings cut than a graceful ballet star. The body is all sharp angles and jagged lines, with skin that looks almost raw and bruised, painted in fleshy pinks, reds, and sickly greens. Schiele was a master of Austrian Expressionism, and he loved to distort the human form to show raw emotion rather than realistic beauty. This guy is reaching out with one hand while his body twists away, creating a sense of frantic, almost painful movement. It's a far cry from a happy dance, but it's incredibly powerful.
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