Mourning Woman

The effect of this portrayal is transmitted by the woman’s big tearful eyes, her sunken cheeks, and pale skin. It is certainly one of Schiele’s most expressive paintings and, furthermore, occupies a unique position in his oeuvre. One can detect another face above the woman, which is clearly that of a man with whom she has an emotional bond. Schiele probably intended to show that the man occupies the woman’s thoughts, that a single individual is the reason for her grief. There is no doubt that the woman depicted here is Schiele’s companion of the time, Wally Neuzil, with whom he was involved between 1911 and 1915. The portrait illustrates the complex relationship between the two.