#Emotional Review Awards #Inescapable of the hashtag, artistic pornography is not immoral if it is artistic enough. It becomes immoral only when the viewer looks at it in an immoral way. —Egon Schiller
Girlishness and sex seem to be the labels that Schiller could not escape in his lifetime, and in 1910, the 20-year-old Schiller took nudity, a slender and twisted body, spasms and even deformed lines, a neurotic model, and bold sex... Bringing it into his own work, self-portraits and nudes are the two most important parts, almost all of them.
He often employs red-light girls as models, and the scenes and figures he depicts are not static, no matter what state they are, they are like being in a state of panic, and the desire to live and the threat of death are intertwined into terrible shadows, hovering between the brushstrokes.
In 1912, Schiller was arrested on charges of "seducing underage girls." At the time of his arrest, more than a hundred paintings known as "pornography" were also found in his studio. At the scene of the trial, the judge personally burned one of his "pornographic" paintings on a candle. Schiller was imprisoned for more than 20 days, and in prison Schiller painted 12 paintings describing the discomfort and unhappiness of being held in a prison cell.
To stop abruptly, to restrict the artist is a crime, to murder a budding life. —Egon Schiller
Egon Schiller's paintings subvert people's traditional aesthetics, directly depicting the fears and sexual desires hidden in people's hearts. The woman with open breasts, the deliberately prominent performance of the lower bodies of men and women, the eyes of confusion and longing, and the scene of passion and love, all of which are not exaggerated to say that Schiller is a master of "pornography" performance, which makes his works far from the aesthetic taste of the mainstream society at that time, and it is difficult to be recognized by people, and it is precisely because of these unique charms that he is famous in the modern painting world.
On the surface, "pornography" is the true reproduction of young artists' life experiences, the fierce expression of inner emotions and the need for artistic expression. But the tension and anxiety implied in the characters' hearts, the withered state of carrying temptations, and the unimaginably exaggerated posture all convey the emotional despair and hostility surrounding the characters in the painting, which not only allows us to see "pornography", but also peeks into the artist's unknown inner world.
Outside of "pornography", Schiller's unparalleled imagination, unique style and profound exploration of human nature are on full display here. Egon Schiller was born in Turn, Austria in 1890, and when he was about to turn ten, his father died of an staunted disease. Stemming from childhood suffering, schiller's growing-up paintings convey more of the message of death and decadence.
In 1906, schiller, who had just turned 16, applied for admission to the Vienna School of Arts and Business, where he passed the exam. Because of his talent, he studied for less than a year, and many teachers in the school jointly recommended him to the Vienna Institute of Contemporary Art to systematically study drawing and oil painting, under the tutelage of Gustav Krimant, the standard-bearer of the Vienna Secession. Here, the instructor's elegant decorative techniques opened his eyes and he was used for life.
Schiller lost his father at the age of 14, and the lack of inner emotions made his deep-seated sense of dependence urgently need to be attached, and the appearance of Klimat made up for this regret. When the two artists first met in 1907, Schiller respectfully took out his work and asked Kerimut for advice, and Kerimant was shocked by his talent for painting and instantly fell in love with the young man. After that, Klimat unreservedly introduced Schiller to his model and patron acquaintance, helped him get a job at the Vienna Design Cooperative, and through his efforts, made Schiller's work selected for an influential international exhibition of artists.
Later he became acquainted with the Austrian playwright, the painter Kokoschka, and was deeply influenced by him on his artistic path thereafter. Schiller's initial painting was influenced by academics and impressionism, and the foundation of modeling was solid. With the teachings of Klimt and Kokoschka, the decorative interest of his works became more and more apparent. At this time, Schiller's expressionist style was more pure than that of his teacher. From 1906 onwards, Schiller's paintings had already occupied an important place in the Austrian Secession. In the 1908 work "Pattern of Flowers Before decorating the Background", the content and pattern of the picture are in line with the style of the Secession and Kerimant.
In 1911, the fledgling Schiller became increasingly dissatisfied with the traditional academic education, and he joined several students with similar interests to form the New Artist School. Due to his youthful exuberance, neither life nor art was very smooth, and a year later Schiller's economic resources were interrupted, coupled with emotional loneliness, so that he gradually began to explore a new expressionist approach, seemingly irregular mixing and matching colors, distorted exaggerated posture, jagged and uneven outer contours... He created a series of self-portraits with a new artistic approach.
Self-Portrait with a Black Vase and Open Fingers is one of his early relatively mild works, with a pronounced tendency toward narcissism or self-analysis. It is full of symbolism - the philosopher-like condescending, piercing the demeanor of sentient beings, the allegorical gestures, the nervous thin fingers, and the ambiguous eyes that stir the heart of the viewer. This year, he was only 21 years old, and his heart was mature and sharp, highlighting the characteristics of genius. The paintings are colorful, influenced by Crimea, and richly decorative. Green, orange, blue and other saturated colors constitute a wealth of small color blocks, making the picture vivid and vivid, but the juxtaposition of black and white in large blocks still makes us feel schiller's contradictory and uneasy heart, and his whole life has explored the essence of darkness, lust, suffering, and death between spirit and flesh.
In his work "Kneeling Male Nude", which uses himself as a model, Schiller changes his usual composition and boldly adopts a positive posture. The deliberately long limbs, oversized hands, deliberately thinly painted orange, bright yellow and blue, and abrupt black contour lines verify the great change in his style. Although the character modeling at this time is still composed in the traditional way, the intentional display of colors makes the picture full of drama. The orange-yellow of the character's lips and face is a reproduction of the painter's deep gaze, and the pale and colorless torso is a touch of green on the skin, the bright blue on the hair, and the orange at the cuffs, and the strong color contrast makes the picture reveal an inexplicable harmony in the eerie.
In pursuit of his personal style, in 1913 Schiller created many oil paintings and works on paper. Some of these famous female nude paintings were made during this period. Most of the female characters in his works are flattering, showing their breasts and lower bodies without scruples, and not hiding their sexual organs. He uses pure white and bright watercolor halos to dot the picture, highlighting the sexual interest of the characters, often placing the characters vertically in the work. He is good at using perspective to deal with the posture of the characters, and the composition is bold and chic. He often placed himself above or below the portrait. Sometimes he also cuts the edges of the frame to highlight the impetuousness of the characters. During this period, schiller chose most of the female models who were young girls. Their innocence and courage to expose their bodies have a lasting shock to the viewer. It fully shows the nostalgia of men for the pathological nostalgia of young girls in that era. At the same time, the metaphors of sex, such as the pulled stockings and messy underwear highlighted in the painting, also reflect Schiller's unique understanding of sex in the emotional budding period. This is also the reason why Schiller is known as a master of "pornography" performance.
Between 1911 and 1915, Schiller's lover Valerie (Wally) became the main model for his work, and in Schiller's 1912 series of works, Valerie appeared in various figures. She is sometimes the protagonist of "Weeping Woman" with the content of "Weeping", and sometimes appears in "Wally kneeling in a skirt" to express the theme of bathing in love; in "The Bishop and the Nun", she appears together with Schiller as a nun to satirize the falsehood of society; and she appears gently in the portrait of Wally as a virtuous companion. Leaning With Open Legs is a representative work of this period, and the Wally in this painting is portrayed as Schiller's most representative triangular composition. Her sexy lips and pink nipples are the two highlights of her body, and her unbridled open legs lead the viewer's gaze to her lower body. Her naked body seemed to be just trying to attract the attention of a male audience, skimming through every sexual sensitivity band from top to bottom. Wally remained in a lover's relationship with Schiller for nearly five years until he married Eddit Harms in 1915.
Wally, who was born a commoner, could neither give him the honor of a certain social status nor help him financially. Although Schiller loves her very much, he does not respect her in his heart, in essence, she is just an object and tool of sex, in this painting Wally's look is lonely and bored, which is also a concentrated reflection of Schiller's contradictory mentality to Wally's demeanor, no one knows where Schiller attracted her, but this is their real state of life at that time.
In 1912, schiller was arrested and imprisoned in the small town of Neulebach for leading minors into his studio to see nudes, on suspicion of poisoning teenagers. During the month of her imprisonment, Wally was obsessed and visited him frequently, giving him the greatest emotional comfort.
In addition to oil paintings, Schiller also painted a large number of sketches with a strong personal style. He often associated the subject matter of life and death with art. Some of these works with the theme of mother and child are gloomy and hazy. Expressionless, indifferent and helpless, the dying mother clings to the energetic, naughty and cute child. The mood of the two is not on the same line at all. Works of the same genre include Dead Mother (1910), Mother and Child (1912), Blind Mother (1914), Mother and Her Two Children (1915). It is said that these mother-son figures are derived from the mutual hostility formed by Schiller's mother due to her strong opposition to his study of painting. These even influenced Schiller's landscape paintings. His mother's hometown of Kronji is dark and gloomy in Schiller's pen, like a dead city. The 1911 work The Prophet of the Self, II is one of Schiller's few double self-portraits. The figure that looms behind the first representative painter figure resembles a ghost, possibly the embodiment of Schiller's father, who died prematurely due to syphilis (Schiller's eldest sister suffered misfortune due to syphilis). The 1912 canvas oil paint The Hermit suggests schiller and Crimeate parting ways. Both artists are dressed in Middle Eastern-style black robes, and the elderly, half-hidden behind the young man, are portrayed as blind. In order to highlight his own state of distress in the painting, Schiller once regarded himself and his teacher Klimt as people who wandered on the fringes of society, but after his success, he began to look boldly at the outside world in his works.
From the end of 1913 to 1915, schiller's style of work underwent major changes. Two Girls Embracing(1914) bear witness to the changes of this period. The use of small red, brown, and green color blocks creates a sense of rhythm, and the silhouette is highlighted by deliberate planning, rigorous lines and color changes, while Schiller begins to favor mature female models. Their plump bodies gave him a whole new feeling. He often hides the side of the head of the character in the darkness, even if sometimes the character is dressed in dazzling clothes, but the debauched posture is the same, and his expression of the humanity in the work becomes more and more fanatical.
In 1915, Schiller's life changed dramatically, the year he married Eddit Hams, a beautiful young girl from a middle-class family. The newlywed Schiller painted many portraits of his wife with gouache and pencil. Such as the sketch of "Eddette Schiller in a Striped Skirt". In many of his portraits during this period, some of the more classical painting languages were gradually incorporated. In the same year, as a result of World War I, Schiller joined the army. Because his superiors appreciated his painting talent, he did not send him to the front line, but served as a prison guard, and he could paint in his spare time. Schiller's works of this period are mostly themed on officers and prisoners, including sketches of some life scenes. His oil paintings began a new change, the lines appeared insignificant, casual, and the loose brushstrokes made the picture more agile. For example, "Three Standing Women" and "Two Kneeling Women" are good interpretations of this style shift. After 1918, many of Schiller's works were painted only partially, and there was much controversy about his late painting style, which was difficult to judge. In the last period of his life, both the unprecedented solo exhibition in Vienna and the commercial sale of his works were recognized by the world and achieved great achievements. But just as his career was on the rise, on October 31, 1918, Schiller died of the flu at the age of 28.
The works of Egon Schiller mainly express people's expectations to explore the value of their own existence in love, to seek emotional sustenance and soul destination. This is not just a simple depiction of "pornography". Schiller's lines are slender and sensitive, arrogant and tenacious, shy and conceited. Schiller's intuition, unique aesthetic, is an outstanding representative of Austrian Expressionist painting. And his tireless exploration of people's inner emotions makes his works like stars shine forever and are loved by the world.