Schiele

Austrian painter Egon Schiele (1890 – 1918) was a figurative painter of the early 20th century and an early exponent of Expressionism. He is best known for his artwork depicting erotic themes and sexuality, using an expressive line. He was born in the Austrian town of Tulln as one of seven children. However, he was the only surviving boy among three sisters. When Schiele was only 14 years old, his father died of syphilis.

From early on, Schiele drew obsessively and later took classes at the Academy in Vienna, where he became a protégé of Gustav Klimt. He was further strongly influenced by the work of Edvard Munch and Vincent van Gogh, further refining his fluid line and the twisted body shapes characteristic for his paintings.

During World War I, Schiele chose to paint in larger formats and added more details to his compositions. His military service, however, limited the time spent on art, although he was still exhibiting successfully in art shows in Berlin, Zürich, Prague, and Dresden. At the age of 28 years, he succumbed to the Spanish flu.