Small but mighty, the Courtauld Schiele exhibition does not disappoint. This significant show, the first ever solo museum exhibition for the Viennese artist in London, reminds us that we must not cast aside Germanic artists such as Schiele any longer and should recognise these artists in our galleries regularly. Upon arriving at the show, it is almost impossible to understand any potential resistance to the work, with the black lines of Schiele’s nudes appearing bold against delicate patches of gouache and watercolour giving us an intriguing portrayal of the nude figure. In addition, some of the perceived vulgarity dissipates when observing Schiele’s works in the flesh, with his incredible ability to combine eroticism and provocation with an inherent technical virtuosity and aesthetic beauty.

Schiele creates a heightened reality with his nudes, distorting areas of the body to emphasise the actuality of it. An example of this is seen within the 1910 portrait of a mysterious friend of Schiele, Erwin Osen where his torso is lengthened to create an emaciated, sinewy form. Before attending ‘The Radical Nude’ I was largely unfamiliar with Schiele’s work, but this exhibition has made me fall in love with his art and has prompted me to research this fascinating era in Vienna. The show displays only Schiele’s nudes, an effective choice as we appreciate these startling works without any distraction and in chronological order, we see a well conceived introduction to the work of this great artist.

Exhibition continues until 18 January, book tickets here.

Written by Thoroughly Modern Mini, Eloise Kenny-Ryder.