Tag: art

The Aesthetic Appeal of Egon Schiele’s Works

Four Trees, (1917. Oil on canvas) by Egon Schiele. Belvedere, Vienna.

Earlier this week, I took some time to review several hundred works by Egon Schiele (1890–1918), the Austrian Expressionist painter renowned for his intense and raw depictions of the human form. Schiele’s art, with its distinctive distorted body shapes and expressive lines, often explores themes of sexuality and self-examination, particularly in his numerous self-portraits, including nudes. Personally, I am more drawn to his other works—those that portray buildings, landscapes, and more formal sittings—not out of prudishness, but because of his unique ability to capture such scenes with an aesthetic that I appreciate. His mentor, Gustav Klimt, played a significant role in shaping Schiele’s artistic development. A broader collection of his works can be found here: Egon Schiele Overview and at the YouTube video gallery below.

While Schiele’s style is compelling, his biography is troubling, and he is not someone I would have wanted to know personally. Nonetheless, many of his works possess an undeniable aesthetic appeal, although others do not resonate with me as deeply. Two pieces that I find particularly captivating are included in this post—one featured above, and the other below (which reminded me of myself researching for an article or post).

Dr. Hugo Koller (1918, Oil on canvas) by Egon Schiele. Belvedere, Vienna.

For the record, The Cleveland Museum of Art possesses two works by Schiele, neither on display. The more interesting is below.

Portrait of a Child (Anton Peschka, Jr.), [1916, gouache, watercolor, and graphite] by Egon Schiele. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland.

Africa and Byzantium Exhibit at CMA

These flasks bear the image of Saint Menas, an early martyr of the Christian Church whose shrine was in the desert southwest of Alexandria in Egypt. These flasks were probably used by pilgrims to hold oil taken from the lamp that burned over this saint’s tomb. Probably manufactured near the shrine, pilgrim’s flasks often bear decorations hinting at their place of origin, as is the case here.

Yesterday, I enjoyed a preview of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s new exhibit, Africa and Byzantium, which will be on display from April 14 through July 21, 2024. Afterwards, I attended a curator lecture which pulled the artifacts in the exhibit together thematically. Many of the items in the display were absolutely stunning to see. I am always impressed by the quality of the exhibits which the CMA is able to display for its patrons. If you have the opportunity, and did not see this exhibit when it was at the MMA, do see it now. Link to information from the CMA is below.

Africa and Byzantium at CMA