Egon Schiele Oil Painting Reproductions

Egon Schiele Paintings: An Artistic Biography

 Born on 12 June 1890, Egon Schiele was an Austrian Expressionist painter. 

Mentored by Gustav Klimt, his work is renowned for its raw sensuality. In addition, Schiele produced many self-portraits, including famous nude portraits with twisted body shapes and piercing eyes.

From Tulln in Lower Austria, Schiele’s father (of German descent) worked as a local station master. His mother, Marie, was of Czech descent. 

As a child, Schiele adored trains. He spent hours drawing them. This obsession bothered Schiele’s father so much that he destroyed the child’s sketchbooks.

While attending secondary school, Schiele’s schoolmates regarded him as strange. Incredibly shy and reserved, he performed poorly in most subjects. The only exceptions were athletics and art. 

During this time, Schiele showed incestuous interest in his younger sister Gertrude (Gerti). As a result, Schiele’s father (aware of this development) once broke through a locked door to ensure Gerti’s safety. 

Even so, Schiele’s behavior continued. At sixteen, he took twelve-year-old Gerti to Trieste (without permission) for an overnight stay in a hotel.

What inspired Egon Schiele?

When Schiele was fourteen years old, his father died. Cared for by an uncle (Leopold Czihaczek), Schiele drew constantly. Consequently, Czihaczek allowed Schiele to be an art tutor. This teaching inspired Schiele’s later artistic career.

He enrolled in the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts (boasting Gustav Klimt as an alumnus) in 1906. Then, at the request of several faculty members, Klimt transferred to the more traditional Academy of Visual Arts in Vienna. Here, the strict conservative teaching of Christian Griepenkerl disappointed Schiele so much that he left after three years.

In 1907, Schiele found Gustav Klimt, who mentored young artists at the time. Klimt was the biggest inspiration for Schiele’s early artistic development, helping the young artist wherever possible. Klimt particularly respected Schiele, buying many of his paintings and introducing him to influential patrons. 

Schiele’s earliest works (created between 1907 and 1909) show the influence of Klimt and Art Nouveau style. However, he was also profoundly influenced by Oskar Kokoschka, transforming Kokoschka’s intense expressionistic portraits into his unique style.

What is Egon Schiele’s art style?

Egon Schiele art is notoriously tricky to define. Described by some as pornographic and disturbing, others see it as representations of truth and universality.

In 1909, Klimt invited Schiele to exhibit at the Vienna Kunstschau. Here, Schiele saw the work of Edvard Munch, Vincent van Gogh and Jan Toorop. Officially free from academic convention by this point, Schiele increasingly explored human forms and sensuality. 

Schiele's paintings included elongated bodies, deformed limbs, and a shocking sexual openness. Indeed, Egon Schiele self-portraits (for instance, Self Portrait 1911) show his unique emotional and sexual honesty.

Schiele continued experimenting with intensely sensual nudes (often featuring pale skin and emaciated bodies). His work shocked contemporary audiences and scholars alike. As a result, he frequently exhibited, including shows in Prague (1910), Budapest (1912), Cologne (1912), and several Munich secessionist shows (starting 1911).

What type of painter was Egon Schiele?

Schiele was a truly dedicated painter, drawing and painting consistently throughout his life.

In 1911, he met Walburga Neuzil (Wally). At seventeen, she worked as a model for Schiele and Gustav Klimt. Schiele and Wally moved to the small town of Český Krumlov (Krumau) in southern Bohemia to escape restrictive Viennese society. 

Nonetheless, angry residents drove the pair out of town. Disapproving their lifestyle, they also opposed Schiele’s use of the town’s teenage girls as models. After this point, Schiele’s work became more complex, dealing with universal themes of death, life, and transformation. His later work includes atmospheric pieces such as Agony and Blind Mother.

After this experience, the couple moved to Neulengbach (35 kilometers west of Vienna). Delinquent children often frequented Schiele’s studio. In 1913, police arrested Schiele for seducing a thirteen-year-old girl.

Released after twenty-four days of custody, Schiele created a series of twelve paintings depicting his time in jail. That same year, the Galerie Hans Goltz in Munich launched Schiele’s first solo show.

How many self-portraits did Egon Schiele paint?

Egon Schiele painted at least ten formal self-portraits. These include Autoportrait and Self Portrait with Chinese Lanterns. Nonetheless, he often used himself as a model for character studies and nude oil painting. 

Consequently, the number of self-portraits (even if not labeled as such) is much higher. For instance, the famed Seated Nude Male (1910) depicts the artist. 

Schiele also created many portraits of friends, lovers, acquaintances, and business associates. These include individuals such as Arthur Roessler, the painter Paris von Gutersloh, and Dr. Hugo Koller.

How many paintings did Egon Schiele paint?

During his short career, Schiele produced over 3,000 drawings and around 300 oil on canvas paintings.

Back in Vienna by 1914, Schiele rented a studio at 101 Hietzinger Hauptstraße. The Harms family lived opposite. Their two daughters, Edith and Adéle Harms entranced Schiele. He married Edith in 1915, hoping to keep a relationship with Wally. 

On hearing the news, Wally refused to see Schiele ever again. Instead, he painted Death and the Maiden in response.

Notwithstanding substantial opposition from her middle-class family, Edith and Schiele remained together. Then, three days after their wedding, Schiele joined the army. Stationed in Prague, Edith traveled with him, staying in a nearby hotel. 

Schiele continued painting during the war, creating more extensive and detailed works. He notably experimented with themes of motherhood and family. Early in these years, Edith served as Schiele’s model. She features in Edith Schiele, Seated (1915).

Around this time, Schiele’s nude oil paintings featured fuller figures, often with blank doll-like expressions. As the war progressed, Schiele increasingly worked with male models.

Due to his poor health and neat handwriting, Schiele worked as a clerk in a prisoner of war camp. Here, he drew and painted Russian prisoners, granted a disused storeroom as a studio. By 1917, Schiele returned to Vienna, creating an outpouring of productivity. 

He took part in the 49th Secessionist exhibition in 1918. With fifty paintings accepted, he also designed the exhibition’s poster. This poster featured a variation of the Last Supper, with Schiele in place of Christ.

How did Egon Schiele die?

In Autumn 1918, the Spanish Flu epidemic reached Vienna. Already claiming over 20 million lives across Europe, its effect was no less devastating in Austria’s capital. 

Schiele’s wife, Edith, died from the disease on 28 October 1918. Egon Schiele died, also from Spanish flu, just three days later.

How old was Egon Schiele when he died?

Egon Schiele was twenty-eight years old when he died. In the three days between his wife’s death and his own, Schiele produced several sketches of Edith. 

Loving and detailed, they form touching tributes to a life torn apart by the tragedies of illness and the First World War.

Where can I see Egon Schiele paintings?

The Leopold Museum in Vienna holds one of the most extensive collections of Egon Schiele art. With over 200 individual exhibits, including Schiele’s famous nude paintings, it’s one of the best places to see his art. 

Other notable collections include the Egon Schiele-Museum at Tulln (Schiele’s birthplace). The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere and Albertina Graphic Collection (both found in Vienna) also hold significant collections.

How much is an Egon Schiele worth?

In 2011, the Leopold Museum sold one Egon Schiele painting (Houses with Drying Laundry) for $40 million. Sold by Sotheby’s auction house, the artwork helped pay for a restitution dispute over another Schiele painting of his lover, Wally. 

Seized by the Nazis from the Jewish art dealer Lea Bondi Jaray, the Leopold Museum paid $19 million to keep the painting. In 2013, the museum also sold several drawings by Schiele. Liebespaar (or Two Lovers, Self-Portrait with Wally) achieved a world record for a work on paper. Selling for $7.8 million, it’s a truly astounding amount.

Egon Schiele paintings: Fine art reproductions

If you love the haunting beauty of Egon Schiele art, discover our unrivaled collection of museum quality oil painting on canvas. From Schiele’s famous nude portraits to early explorations, you’ll find stunning art reproductions to cherish.