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Schiele and Klimt
Schiele and Klimt
Schiele and Klimt
Comparative Study:
Discovering the
Human Body
Mia Smith
Introduction
During my two years as an IB Studio Art student, subjects of sexuality and the human body greatly
interested me. As an art student, once interested in the subject of the human form its hard to miss artists
like Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. I first saw Schieles work in a gallery in New York City. His artwork
both struck and impressed me, and I envied his distinct style. I quickly learned that Gustav Klimt was a
major part of Schieles life, and his artwork paved the way for young Schiele. Both artists focus greatly on
the female body and how sexuality can be interpreted. For their time period, their artwork pushed
boundaries and resulted in great personal struggle. I share the desire to push social norms through my
artwork, so naturally I was drawn even further to the two. Klimt and Schiele have since inspired my
artwork, and sculpted me as an artist.
Egon Schiele joined the Vienna Academy of Art at the age of 16 in 1906, and was
quickly recognized as a protege. He was assigned to Gustav Klimt, a member of the
Vienna Secession, as a pupil. Under Klimt, Schiele learned the basic skills he
needed to strive as an artist, and emulated Klimts style to a great extent. Even
later on in Schieles career, Klimt was featured in his paintings and Schiele even
directly copied some of Klimts most distinct works, such as The Kiss. See Figure #1.
Figure #1. The Kiss, Gustav Klimt, 1908, (Left) The Cardinal and Nun, Egon Schiele, 1912 (Right)
Klimt & I
As I familiarized myself with both Klimt and Schieles work,
I found I connected with individual aspects of each artists
works. Klimt is famous for his incorporation of gold leaf
into his paintings, which inspired me to not step away from
drawing, but to experiment with gold. I found that I loved
the process of painting and working with a new medium,
and that gold leaf was striking and a beautiful addition to
many pieces of my art. While working with gold leaf, I
stepped away from my usual dark palette, and
experimented with bright, striking colors. In my opinion,
gold leaf adds a decorous and royal feeling to my painting,
and was a perfect addition. Without inspiration from
Klimt, I doubt I ever would have found myself working
Artwork by me
with gold leaf.
Sleeping Swan, Acrylic and Gold Leaf (3.5 ft by 4.5 ft)
Figure #2
Figure #3
Artwork by me
Schiele & I
Between the two artists, I believe Im more similar to
Schiele technique-wise, and I find his sharp and harsh
linework more aesthetically pleasing. In Figure# 4,
theres a direct recreation of mine (left) next to a
small photo of Schieles original (right). Schieles
portraits are often emaciated and skeletal with
discolored skin. These characteristics deviate from
his tutors style greatly, seeing as Klimts portraits are
often blushing and lively women.
Schieles gaunt portraits define and elevate him as an
artist. At the time, it was taboo and shocking to
portray the human body in the ways that Schiele did.
Despite this, he drew harsh, graphic poses and
feminine men, giving little regard to the social mores
of the day.
Figure #4
Artwork by me
Osen, Ink and Watercolor,
2014
In Figure #5, one of Schieles sketches (left) is contrasted with my emulation (right). The defensive
and sorrowful pose Schiele chose was fascinating to me so I recreated it. Schieles original nude had
warm, peach-like skin with little shading, however when I emulated it, I used paler skin tones along
with some bruising. In addition to the color-scheme change, I added wounds on the figures back to
create an explanation for the folded pose as well as a backstory. I imagine that if Schiele had used
this sketch as inspiration for a full painting, there would be darker colors and more detail in the skin.
Figure #5
Artwork by Me
Artwork by me
Conclusion
Both Schiele and Klimt have had massive influences on me. Their relationship and
individual creations have educated me and changed me drastically as an artist. Simply
learning their life stories and examining their art has left me a more educated,
empathetic and well-rounded artist. After being introduced to their artwork, I cannot
look at art or the human body the same way. A certain level of complexity and meaning
has been added to both human anatomy and the world of art. The personal lesson Ive
learned from these two artists is that the human body is a vehicle for expression, and
should be shown as such.
Sources
Kallir, Jane. "Egon Schiele, the Complete Works: Including a Biography and a Catalogue Raisonn." Barnes & Noble. Art
Services International, 6 Feb. 1994. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
Schiele, Egon. Cardinal and Nun. 1912. Acrylic. sterreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria
Fischer, Wolfgang Georg. Egon Schiele, 1890-1918: Desire and Decay. Hong Kong: Taschen, 2007. Print.
Christian Bauer. Egon Schiele: The Beginning. Munchen: Hirmer Verlag GmbH, 2013. Print.
Burman, Greta. "The Startlingly Original Egon Schiele." The Startlingly Original Egon Schiele The Juilliard School. Julliard, 1
Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
Blackshaw, Gemma. "The Pathological Body: Modernist Strategizing in Egon Schiele's Self-Portraiture." DeepDyve. Oxford Art,
3 Oct. 2007. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Messer, Thomas M. Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. New York: Karger AG, Basel, 1965. Print.
Dabrowski, Magdalena. "German Expressionism." MoMA.org. Museum of Modern Art, 7 Apr. 95. Web. 25 Jan. 2016