As an enthusiast of the nude, Egon Schiele isn't afraid to show us his valuables. By valuables, I mean what artistic styles he values the most...duh. Looking at auto-portrait dans des draps, I notice the smolder Schiele gives me as I gaze upon his distorted body and the clothes that barely dress him. I feel his unwavering confidence in the piercing stare that follows his clothes as they drape over his shoulder, bringing attention to the patterns. After being in a mentor-mentee relationship with artist Gustav Klimt, Schiele's artistic development was heavily based upon Klimt's influence. I see that influence make its way into the thin, circling lines that meekly cover the artist's modesty. 

With purity out the window, I'm left looking at an figural distortion of what's supposed to be a sexually suggestive stance. Even if it's a 2D painting, I feel uncomfortable, as if I'm intruding upon the artist's privacy. Things get even more personal as I make my way down the painting, where I really get to know the artist. Exposing his nudity and therefore vulnerability, I can see that Schiele defies conventional beauty norms. Not only does he accomplish this by baring all, but also in the way his stomach looks deformed.

There is a level of emotional and sexual directness in this self-portrait, and I don't know how to feel about it. I understand Schiele's desire to create revealing and unsettling images, but I still feel like it's one of those things that you know you should look away from, but you can't. Schiele may not be considered a conventional Art History Hottie, but I think with his unique style and sexy mustache, he should make the list.