Self-portrait

Egon Schiele prints bring the raw, nervous line of Viennese Expressionism to your walls. In a career of little more than ten years, Schiele drew and painted the human body as no one had before: twisted, angular and fiercely alive. He also painted quiet, patterned views of old towns and bare trees. Our collection has more than 300 of his paintings, drawings and posters as fine art prints.

About Egon Schiele

Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele was born on 12 June 1890 in Tulln an der Donau, in Lower Austria. In 1906, aged 16, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where his main teacher was Christian Griepenkerl. He clashed with Griepenkerl and left in 1909, founding the Neukunstgruppe (New Art Group) with fellow students.

In 1907 he sought out Gustav Klimt. Klimt bought his drawings, introduced him to patrons and became a mentor. In 1911 Schiele met Wally Neuzil, who lived with him and modeled for many of his best-known works. Local residents drove the couple out of Krumau (now Český Krumlov) in southern Bohemia, and they moved to Neulengbach near Vienna. There Schiele was arrested, and he spent 24 days in custody before a court found him guilty of letting children see his erotic drawings.

On 17 June 1915 he married Edith Harms, and three days later he was called up for war service. From 1917 he served at a military supply depot in Vienna. In 1918 he showed around 50 works at the 49th exhibition of the Vienna Secession and designed its poster. That autumn the Spanish flu struck Vienna: Edith died on 28 October 1918, six months pregnant, and Schiele died three days later, on 31 October, aged 28.

Style and Subjects

Schiele's early work follows the decorative style of Klimt, but around 1909 he turned toward a harsher, more personal manner, and the German-language sources point to Vincent van Gogh as an influence. By 1910–11 his figures had become thin and angular, with sharp outlines and pale, sickly-colored skin. Love, desire and death run through the whole of his work.

He painted himself again and again, often nude, along with portraits, nudes, couples and mothers with children. The other side of his art is quieter: landscapes, single trees, sunflowers and old towns such as Krumau, where crowded roofs, walls and windows become patterns of color.

Famous Works

• Dead City III (1911), Leopold Museum, Vienna. Old houses beside a river, from his series of small-town views.
• Portrait of Wally Neuzil (1912), Leopold Museum, Vienna. His partner and favorite model, in one of his best-loved portraits.
• Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant (1912), Leopold Museum, Vienna. One of his most famous self-portraits, with the red Chinese lantern plant curving through the picture.
• Death and the Maiden (1915), Belvedere, Vienna. A man in a dark robe and a red-haired woman cling to each other on a white sheet in a rocky landscape.
• Edith Schiele in a Striped Dress, Seated (1915), Leopold Museum, Vienna. A portrait of his wife in a bold striped dress, painted in the year of their marriage.
• The Embrace (1917), Belvedere, Vienna. Two lovers wrapped together on a rumpled white sheet against a green ground.
• Four Trees (1917), Belvedere, Vienna. One of his calm landscapes, a row of four trees.
• The Family (1918), Belvedere, Vienna. A man, a woman and a small child crouch together in a pyramid; one of his last major paintings.

Decorating with Schiele Prints

Schiele's town views and landscapes are the easiest place to start. The Krumau rooftops, house walls and Dead City pictures, with their patterns of roofs and walls, suit living rooms, hallways and home offices, and his bare trees and sunflowers suit a reading corner or dining room.

His portraits and self-portraits, with their strong outlines, look sharp in modern, minimal rooms and studies, and they hang well in pairs, such as Wally beside the Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant. The nudes and lovers, including The Embrace, are intimate pictures best kept for bedrooms and private spaces. His 1918 Secession poster suits an entry or creative workspace.

FAQ

What art movement was Egon Schiele part of?

Schiele was one of the leading Austrian Expressionists. His twisted figures and expressive line mark him as an early Expressionist.

What is Egon Schiele's most famous painting?

Portrait of Wally Neuzil and Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant, both from 1912, are his best known, along with Death and the Maiden (1915) and The Embrace (1917).

Where can I see Egon Schiele's original paintings?

Vienna. The Leopold Museum holds more than 200 of his works, perhaps the most complete Schiele collection anywhere, and the Belvedere owns The Embrace, Death and the Maiden, Four Trees and The Family.

How can you recognize a Schiele?

Look for a sharp, nervous outline and thin, angular bodies in twisted poses, often with pale, sickly-colored skin. His town views turn roofs, walls and windows into flat patterns of color.

How old was Egon Schiele when he died?

He was 28. He died of the Spanish flu in Vienna on 31 October 1918, three days after his wife Edith died of the same illness.

Related Artists

• Gustav Klimt: his mentor and patron, who bought his drawings and introduced him to collectors.
• Vincent van Gogh: an influence on Schiele's move away from Klimt's decorative style after 1909.
• Oskar Kokoschka: fellow Viennese Expressionist, named as an influence on Schiele.