Egon Schiele: Almost a Lifetime

by Christian Bauer (Editor)

One of the most important artists of the early twentieth century, Egon Schiele is vastly influential—not just in his native Austria, where he was a major figure of Austrian expressionism, but around the world. Yet Schiele spent almost his entire life in Vienna and Lower Austria, and the cultural currents of the region can be seen in the ways he thought about and made art.
           
With Egon The Beginning, Christian Bauer focused on Schiele’s early life and work, starting with his childhood in Tulln and following his career through his resignation from the Vienna Art Academy in 1909. Now, with Egon Almost a Lifetime, Bauer sheds new light on how Schiele developed the essential elements of his creative practice—in Tulln and Vienna, but also Krems, Klosterneuburg, Neulengbach, and Mühling, where the artist was put to work in a POW camp and painted a number of imprisoned Russian officers. Drawing on recent research and a cache of unpublished photographs, the book explores a number of previously neglected influences on Schiele’s work, including his interest in x-ray technology and the art nouveau style of the artist and aristocrat Franz von Stuck.
           
Schiele’s work continues to inspire artists, critics, and collectors today. Packed with beautiful, large-scale reproductions, Egon Almost a Lifetime shows the artist in the context of his homeland, including in the later stages of his career.

Genres: Art

306 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2015

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.

1) As biography, it seems to avoid anything controversial or very interesting. I sometimes felt that it wasn't telling me stuff because it (probably quite reasonably?) assumed I already knew stuff. "What do you want to know about his relationship with Klimt for? That's old news." But then it did tell me how the first world war started ... so ... huh? It's a book for people who know a lot about Egon Schiele but appreciate refreshers on the first world war?

2) As a book of his art ... it's missing really crucial pieces. No "Kneeling Nude With Raised Hands", no "The Family", no "Reclining Male Nude", only one of the green stockings....

3) Some of the art crit was interesting ... the xrays, the police photographs ... but there was a lot more about the landscapes. And I wasn't really here for the landscapes.

All in all, I think I found the wikipedia article more interesting.

[CF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history on Schiele and his all too short life. His life is in his work but this elaboration of how his work and life collided is a wonderful construction of an artist truly living in his life. Great collection of visual pieces too for an excellent reference!