Fragment of a Page from a Sketchbook with Figure Studies and Signature, undated

This study, created by Egon Schiele (1890–1918) between 1912 and 1914, shows a two-figure composition in three different versions. Both the positioning and the clothing of the figures suggest that these sketches could have been preliminary studies for the now lost painting Encounter (Self-Portrait with Saint) (Kallir P259), which we know from a Photograph. In the painting, Schiele rendered two figures, the one in front is standing with slightly bent knees as in the sketch, with one bent arm raised; both are clad in short, boxy garments that end just above the knees. While Schiele had planned to extend the painting five to six meters towards the right, he did exhibit it in its “unfinished” state already in 1914 as a “wall painting experiment” for a competition organized by his friend, the collector Carl Reininghaus (1857–1929).

LVD, 2024