As well as a few hundred oil paintings, he created nearly 3,000 drawings and watercolours. Limited access to these fragile works and dispersion among several collections have made a comprehensive survey of his work a rarity. This volume assembles this master draughtsman's works on paper, providing a unique opportunity to study his rapid artistic development over the course of his brief twelve years of activity.

Jane Kallir, the author of Schiele’s catalogue raisonné, introduces each year of the artist’s output, discussing his step-by-step progression from child prodigy to master of the human form and expression.