Egon Schiele
(Tulln 1890–1918 Vienna)
Frau auf Knien und Ellbogen (Woman on her knees and elbows), signed and dated EGON SCHIELE 1914; estate stamp on the reverse and a handwritten note Marie Schiele, crayon on paper, 31.6 x 48 cm
Provenance:
Marie Schiele (1862–1935), Vienna
Franz Reuter (1896–1965), Vienna
Private Collection, Vienna (by descent from the above until 2021)
We are grateful to Jane Kallir for confirming the authenticity based on the original. The drawing will be included in the catalogue raisonné.
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE AUSTRIAN CANCER AID AND THE MEDUNI VIENNA.
“Schiele neared a new abstraction – not an abstraction of ornamental shapes on the plane, rather an abstraction of plastic simplification in space. Turning away from the individualistic, he aspired towards the typical.”
Otto Benesch, 1951
Throughout his brief career, Egon Schiele’s creative prowess yielded a remarkable abundance of diverse modes of expression. A profound turning point also occurred in 1914, when he increasingly distanced himself from the piercing psychologisation inherent in his depiction of body and physiognomy, choosing instead to analyse the human form as a formal construct. The individualistic-expressive quality recedes in favour of a radical visual idiom, manifested in staged poses, torsions, and unconventional perspectives.
This drawing proofs Schiele's unconventional radicality at the threshold of figuration and abstraction. A network of bold, fragmented strokes, staccato-like lines, hinted geometric shapes, circles, and abbreviations breaks open the enclosed form, demanding a reoriented, concentrated perception from the viewer. Within the obvious juxtaposition of dynamic bodily dissolution and the reductive rendering of the face, a moment of tense harmony emerges.
Specialist: Dr. Marianne Hussl-Hörmann
(Tulln 1890–1918 Vienna)
Frau auf Knien und Ellbogen (Woman on her knees and elbows), signed and dated EGON SCHIELE 1914; estate stamp on the reverse and a handwritten note Marie Schiele, crayon on paper, 31.6 x 48 cm
Provenance:
Marie Schiele (1862–1935), Vienna
Franz Reuter (1896–1965), Vienna
Private Collection, Vienna (by descent from the above until 2021)
We are grateful to Jane Kallir for confirming the authenticity based on the original. The drawing will be included in the catalogue raisonné.
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE AUSTRIAN CANCER AID AND THE MEDUNI VIENNA.
“Schiele neared a new abstraction – not an abstraction of ornamental shapes on the plane, rather an abstraction of plastic simplification in space. Turning away from the individualistic, he aspired towards the typical.”
Otto Benesch, 1951
Throughout his brief career, Egon Schiele’s creative prowess yielded a remarkable abundance of diverse modes of expression. A profound turning point also occurred in 1914, when he increasingly distanced himself from the piercing psychologisation inherent in his depiction of body and physiognomy, choosing instead to analyse the human form as a formal construct. The individualistic-expressive quality recedes in favour of a radical visual idiom, manifested in staged poses, torsions, and unconventional perspectives.
This drawing proofs Schiele's unconventional radicality at the threshold of figuration and abstraction. A network of bold, fragmented strokes, staccato-like lines, hinted geometric shapes, circles, and abbreviations breaks open the enclosed form, demanding a reoriented, concentrated perception from the viewer. Within the obvious juxtaposition of dynamic bodily dissolution and the reductive rendering of the face, a moment of tense harmony emerges.
Specialist: Dr. Marianne Hussl-Hörmann
