Gerti Schiele is a painting created by Egon Schiele in 1909 while he was still only a teenager. It depicts his younger sister who often sat for him as his model during his formative years. Between the years of 1907 and 1909, many of his works had strong similarities to those of Klimt as well as influences from Art Nouveau. In 1908, the year before Gertie Schiele was painted, Schiele had his first exhibition held at Klosterneuburg.
The artwork shows Gerti in her adolescent years with her expression being focus of the painting. Her meek gaze unfolds from a bold shock of poorly-brushed golden locks which help to accentuate her delicate facial features and cheeks blushing under red blotches of paint. This portrait has somewhat soft edges, creating a dreamy looking image while portraying Gerti’s youthfulness.
Egon Schiele was unique in his exploration of the human body, sexuality and identity. His paintings depict peoples raw emotions which appeal to viewers on an intense level creating an emotional connection to each and every one of his works. After Gerti Schiele, Egon continued to create different works focusing on emotion such as Autumn Trees in 1911 where Egon captures a melancholy feeling through the distorted shapes, green-hued oranges and other painted elements that create an atmosphere of gloominess when combined together
