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Photograph by Anton Josef Trcka
Artist: Egon Schiele
(1890-1918)
Style: German Expressionist
Egon Schiele
was born in the city of Tulln, Austria. At the age of just 15 years old
Schiele's father died of syphilis and Egon Schiele's custody was granted
to his uncle who recognized and was a proponent of Schiele's
artistic talent. At the age of 16 Schiele applied at Kunstgewerbeschule in
Vienna, Austria where Gustav Klimt had also studied. Shortly after
his arrival to his new school, Schiele was transferred to a
different school the Akademie der Bildenden Künste. There he studied
drawing and painting but felt suffocated by the school’s conservative
nature. In 1907, Schiele sought out Gustav Klimt who was a role
model for the young artist. Gustav Klimt was said to encouraged Schiele by
buying his drawings and providing him with opportunities. Klimt invited
Schiele to exhibit his work at the 1909 Vienna Kunstschau, where Schiele
encountered the works of Edvard Munch. At this point in time Shiele's work
began to flourish and he began to explore, not only the human form and
sexuality with his work. To some his art would considered shocking but
captured the publics interest. Schiele's lifestyle was also become more
complex and diverse; in April 1912 he was arrested for seducing a young
girl below the age of consent. When the police came to his studio to place
him under arrest they had seized more than one hundred drawings which they
considered pornographic. Schiele was imprisoned but soon after the
charges of seduction and abduction were dropped yet the young artist was
found guilty of exhibiting erotic drawings in a place accessible to
children. He was sentenced to only 24 days imprisonment. During the time
that Schiele spent in prison he created a series paintings depicting the
emotions he felt from his imprisonment. Schiele was married in 1915.
In 1918 he was invited to the Secession's 49th exhibition. Schiele had
more then forty works displayed in the exhibition. The exhibit was a major
success for the artist created a great deal of recognition for the artist.
Later that year the Spanish flu epidemic claimed both the lives of Egon
and his pregnant wife Edith. Schiele's final work were all painted
of his beloved wife.
Here are a couple of examples of
paintings by Egon Schiele
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