Under Hoffmann’s supervision along with an elite team of artists and craftsmen of the Wiener Werkstätte, the palace was completed after 6 years of construction as an ideal realization of the “total work of art,” or “Gesamtkunstwerk,” which meant to unify the applied and fine arts. The Palais Stoclet is a large private mansion located in Brussels, Belgium, designed by architect and designer Josef Hoffmann, prominent member of the Vienna Secession and one of the founding members of the Wiener Werkstätte (“Viennese Workshops”). Schiele was only 28 at the time of his passing yet the art he created throughout his career proved him to be one of the most productive and innovative artists of his time. Unfortunately, his career ended abruptly in October of that year, when he died due to the Spanish Influenza.

Schiele’s work garnered more attention when he was invited to participate in the Vienna Secession’s Forty-Ninth Annual Exhibit in March of 1918. The self-reflective aspect of Schiele’s portraits is considered to be a precursor to Expressionism, a movement that explores emotional experiences rather than an external environment. Egon is nude in many of his self-portraits and he poses himself in vulnerable positions. His self-portraits, which inwardly explored the artist’s own turmoil, were no exception. In addition to its graphic nature, Schiele’s work often portrayed distorted contours and angular human figures.

Schiele ceased to using children as models but this did not put a damper on his sexually explicit artwork.Įgon Schiele – Kneeling Nude with Raised Hands, 1910/ Nude Self-Portrait in Grey with Open Mouth, 1910 This practice eventually led to his 24-day imprisonment in 1912 after being accused of raping an underage girl, his girlfriend at the time. During this time, Schiele often used nude adolescents as models. Many critics considered the young artist’s work to be crude and vulgar. Subjects that he often explored were sexuality and self-portraits.

As these exhibitions progressed, Schiele’s work began to mature. After leaving, Schiele explored new methods of painting and began to veer from his mentor’s artistic influence.Įgon, along with the rest of the artists that chose to leave the academy, began frequently exhibiting their works. Two years later, Schiele was one of many students to leave the Academy. Klimt also introduced Schiele to the Wierner Werkstätte, a division of the Vienna Secession that focused on unifying the arts and crafts. After the death of his father in 1906, Schiele enrolled in the Akademie der bildenden Kunste, Vienna’s Academy of Fine Arts, where Schiele’s future mentor, Gustav Klimt, also studied.Ī year after enrolling in the school, Egon sought out Klimt as a confidant who in turn introduced Klimt to patrons as well as the work of other artists. In school, Egon was encouraged to pursue formal training in the arts. His sister, Gertie, often modeled in the artist’s works. Born in 1890 Austria, Schiele and his two sisters were raised by his father. Schiele, Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant, 1912Īlthough the life of Egon Schiele was short lived, the number of works he created was quite prolific.

The vienna secession formed