Egon Schiele was an Austrian representative of Expressionism and the foremost figurative painter of the early 20th century. Despite having a brief art career, Egon Schiele was famous for his works, or some would argue about him being infamous.
Within just ten years of his art career, the Austrian maestro painted more than 300 paintings and over 3000 works on paper. Most of his paintings featured disturbing intensity, twisted bodies, and raw sexuality, for which Egon Schiele was criticized and infamous in the art world.
In today’s article, we will talk about Egon Schiele and some of Egon’s famous paintings. Also, we will disclose some fascinating things about the artist who was often criticized for his artworks. So, read on to learn more about Egon Schiele!
Who Was Egon Schiele?
First, let us begin with a brief introduction to the maestro. Born on June 12, 1890, Edgar Schiele was born in Tulln, Austria. Egon Schiele was highly noted for eroticism in his works as a painter, a draftsman, and a printmaker. Provocative paintings and suffering self-portraits were his specialties which are visible in some of Egon Schiele paintings, for which Egon Schiele is still renowned as one of the most controversial painters in the history of the art world.
Egon Schiele was a critically crucial Austrian painter often associated with Expressionism. His boldly drawn, angular lines and combination of color signify him as an early champion of this movement. However, it is also worth noting that his art featured rejected typical conventions of beauty and introduced ugliness and exaggerated emotion into art, giving Expressionism a new meaning.
Egon’s father, Adolf, was a station master at the Tulln Station who died when Egon was just 15 years old. After his father’s death, Egon was taken in by his maternal uncle, who realized Egon’s interest in art and allowed him to follow up on his interest.
Egon Schiele Developed His Interest At An Early Age
Egon Schiele had developed a keen interest in art very early. As a kid, the artist often went to railway stations with his father with sketchbooks in his hands. His books were always filled with drawings of trains – it was as if he was obsessed with them.
Egon’s father was frustrated with his son as Egon was not pursuing the same career path. Therefore, one day he destroyed all of Egon’s artworks and even sketchbooks. Finally, when Egon was 15, his father took his last breath due, and his maternal uncle took him in.
Fortunately, his maternal uncle realized Schiele’s potential and allowed him to explore his artistic interests. Egon Schiele then enrolled at the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts at the mere age of 16 – he was the youngest to ever enroll at the academy.
However, disillusioned with his tutor’s conservative style, Schiele dropped out of school after three years of enrolling to find his artistic identity. Egon and his other dropout colleagues made up the Neukust Gruppe, or the New Art Group, which included other famous artists like Oskar Kokoschka and Max Oppenheimer.
A Protege of Gustav Klimt
A year after Egon Schiele joined the Academy of Fine Arts, young Egon met Gustav Klimt, whom Egon greatly admired. Klimt took a particular interest in Egon Schiele and helped him sell his artworks, arrange research models, and introduce him to arts and crafts workshops.
In 1909, Schiele exhibited his work at the Kunsthaus Wien – the exhibition for which Klimt had persuaded Schiele. There, he got exposed to the works of some of the greatest, like Edvard Munch and Vincent Van Gogh.
As a result of his affection and relation with Klimt, Egon’s earlier works bore lots of resemblances to Klimts. For example, the poses of figures in the Cardinal and Nun (Caress) were similar to Klimt’s The Kiss.
After leaving the Academy of Fine Arts, Schiele began developing his style. While they grew apart stylistically, Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt maintained a close personal and professional relationship.
Accused of Abducting and Seducing A Minor
It is known that Egon Schiele developed a style highly influenced by nudity and eroticism. For his paintings, Egon often used young models as a subject of research. However, he appointed underage girls as nude models, which ignited harsh public criticism.
Following the events of his studio in Vienna shutting down, Egon had to move out of the town where his studio was situated. He then moved his studio to Neulenbach, which became an after-school hangout spot for teenagers.
At his studio, youngsters were exposed to his indecent and erotic paintings and thus were charged for it. However, the French genius was also jailed for abduction and immoral conduct with a minor, which added to his criminal record.
It all happened when a twelve years old daughter of a retired naval officer sought Schiele’s help while she was escaping to Vienna. As a result, Egon Schiele was arrested on charges of abducting and statutory rape of the same girl. However, Schiele later dropped off the charges and was found guilty of “public immorality” for his sexual drawings.
Egon Schiele Served in the First World War
Schiele married his love Edith Harms when the First World War was in full swing. However, after three days of marriage, Egon Schiele had to report to service and barracked with thousands of other young men.
Despite his career in the military, Egon never saw front-line combat. In the army, Schiele worked as a clerk in the Prisoner-of-War (POW) camp, contributing to the office work and escorting prisoners. However, even such a harsh environment could not keep Egon from painting, which proves his enthusiasm for paintings.
He turned a small empty room in the camp into an art studio, where Egon would continue painting. The French maestro also participated in multiple art exhibitions in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, wherever his service took him.
He Passed Away At the Age of 28 Due to Spanish Flu
The devastating global pandemic Spanish Flu took over the world just after the First World War ended. The pandemic was wreaking havoc in Europe, and Austria was not far either – neither Egon Schiele nor his wife Edith Harms could escape the disease.
Egon’s wife, who was six months pregnant, succumbed to the disease on October 28, 1918. Egon followed her soon after and died three days later at the mere age of 28 – the pandemic shortened a brilliant artistic career. If not for the Spanish Flu, we might have seen many more magnificent artworks by Egon Schiele.
The Bottom Line
To sum up, Egon Schiele was a brilliant artist who achieved so much at a young age. His legacy influenced many Neo-Expressionism artists, including Francis Bacon and Jean Michel Basquiat. If you want to explore Egon’s artworks, the Leopold Museum in Vienna is the best place – the museum houses the most extensive Schiele collection in the world.