Egon Schiele:
Standing Girl, Head Resting on Hand (Sitzendes Mädchen, den Kopf in die Hand gestützt), 1913
Gouache and pencil
45 × 31 cm
Private collection
(Kallir d1269)

The young woman leans forward with her head resting gently on her hand, a pose that feels both thoughtful and unguarded. Schiele captures her with the tender directness that marks many of his works from 1913, a year when his line softened without losing its familiar tension, a balance that became characteristic of this moment in his development. The gouache brings a muted warmth to her clothing and skin, softening the angularity of the pose and giving the figure a quiet, lived‑in presence. The soft blue and red washes settle on the body like bruised light, adding a tender warmth that gently eases the tension of his line.

Her face, slightly tilted, carries that familiar Schiele mixture of introspection and distance. The eyes are not sharply defined, but they hold a gentle inwardness, as if she is caught in a moment of private thought. The tilt of her head into her hand suggests a quiet dependence on her own body, a small pause in which she seems to rest inside herself. The hand supporting her head is drawn with particular care, its weight suggesting both physical rest and a kind of emotional suspension. Around her, the white of the paper remains open and uncluttered, allowing the figure to breathe and giving the drawing a sense of stillness. The open white creates a gentle breathing space, making her solitary pose feel even more intimate, as if the world has fallen away and only this quiet moment remains.

This work belongs to the period just after Schiele’s release from prison, when his drawings often show a softer emotional register. In 1913 he was moving through a moment of transition: the turbulence of the previous year had settled, and his figures began to carry a calmer, more reflective tone. There is a new sense of responsibility in these works, a quieter emotional depth that shapes even the simplest gestures. The slightly elongated limbs and the folded, inward posture feel natural rather than staged, and the combination of pencil and gouache creates a gentle balance between line and color. It is a small, intimate moment, held with care, showing Schiele’s ability to find depth in the simplest gestures.