Egon Schiele

The Austrian painter Egon Schiele is now recognized as a major figure in the history of modern art and in the development of the Expressionist movement. He was only 28 when he died in 1918, yet his output was prolific and in his short life he produced a remarkable series of intense and powerful images. Although dogged by accusations of pornography throughout his career, he pursued his vocation as an artist with uncompromising intensity, giving expression to his most powerful feelings with an anguished honesty that gave his paintings the power to shock even one hundred years later. Schiele's Expressionist leanings are revealed in the way that he expertly combines the modernist need for abstraction with traditional Renaissance techniques such as the naturalistic portrayal of his subjects and the use of symbolism and allegory. The freedom of line, unrestricted brushstrokes and expressive use of colour give Schiele's paintings an extraordinary vigour and visual richness that set them apart from the works of many of his contemporaries. In this recently revised book, art historian and curator Simon Wilson explores Schiele's obsession with sex, life and death, which gave rise to his famous nude self-portraits and paintings of female nudes. Schiele's unique vision of the artist in society is also examined, as well as his perhaps less controversial work as a landscape and portrait painter. Wilson's insightful text combines with the many striking illustrations to make this book a fascinating and informative appraisal of Schiele's life and work.