Egon Schiele

Egon Schiele, the Austrian painter, shared a perspective similar to Freud's. He sought to explore the unconscious depths of his subjects through repeated confrontations with sexuality, body, and mortality. Unlike others who focused solely on outward beauty, Schiele had an X-ray vision for the soul, stripping away the superficial pretense to reveal human vulnerability and pure fragility. He revealed the mysteries that lurked beneath the facade of 'the prim and proper' and shared the truth because nothing is more interesting than the truth.

Schiele's journey through the treacherous landscape of his own mind led him to a traditional art school. But little did he know that this decision would pave the way for an encounter with the legendary Gustav Klimt, the High Priest of Art Nouveau. It was a meeting that would forever alter the course of Schiele's artistic destiny.

Wrapped in himself, mercurial and ominous, Schiele was searching for reassurance from someone who represented authority, a father figure on a human and artistic level. Klimt, with his towering personality and impressive artistic prowess, was the ideal figure to fulfill this role. Klimt's influence on Schiele was significant, and it proved to be the catalyst for his creative success.

With his libertine attitude and shameless representations of the human form, Schiele desperately sought to give voice to the tempestuous emotions brewing within him. He not only wanted to reflect on his own solar and nocturnal Eros, but he also wanted to live it and experience it too 3. 

“I must see new things and investigate them. I want to taste dark water and see crackling trees and wild winds.”

Furthermore, let's take a delightful detour into the realm of Gemini 4, where we will explore the link between the Twins of the sky and the sense of self embodied in Schiele. 

With Gemini, we immerse ourselves in the third house of the human psyche, the house of Mind and, therefore, the house of all creation. In this house, we build our thinking skills and lay a foundation for creating favorable or unfavorable conditions for the self. As a bearer of thoughts, Gemini embodies the dualistic nature of God and lives in two worlds simultaneously - one that is perceived through sensory perceptions and the other, the psychic world created inside as a reflection of the outside.

For the most part, Gemini typically doesn't revolve in the same direction as planet Earth. Gemini aims to 'Know Thyself so they can 'Be Thyself.' In Gemini's mind, you've got to analyze, clarify, define, describe, interpret, point out, reveal, and spell out yourself as far as possible—but not just for the sake of knowing yourself. You've got to know yourself so that you can, at last, BE yourself. 

And since they know themselves so well, they also know others. They can see almost every facet of people's personalities in their appearance, posture, and movement. Even before YOUR lips part and the first syllable escapes, the essence of YOU has already axed its way into Gemini's brain. They are the speed demons of the cognitive world, processing information at warp speed and leaving everyone else in the dust.

Like the spirit of Gemini, one of the unearthed hidden gems about Schiele was his impossible-to-explain, out-of-this-world, real-cool ability to "make it make sense," which presented itself with a kind of vibrational eloquence that can, at first, be almost overwhelming. He craved to touch everything physically and emotionally, but he also wanted to be touched by everything; he had no boundaries, no rules, just pure creative energy 5 6.

To illustrate this point, allow me to present a hypothetical scenario: imagine a young creative, equipped with a camera and a unique vision, commandeering the space of a conventional living room - transforming it into a vibrant - Gen Z-inspired fashion runway. While this may sound extravagant, it serves to highlight the restless, creative potential of the Gemini spirit. Gemini wants the feeling—the momentum of the first emotion to give abstraction form, to pour fluid heat into their artistic imaginings, and to transform raw energy into tangible creations that resonate with the world around them. They launch headlong into an exciting, hedonistic whirl where curtains are drawn, secrets are shared, and an instant is frozen in time.  

Unveiling Schiele's enigma, we discover a unique trait akin to the spirit of Gemini. If you examine Schiele's portraits, you'll notice an undeniable intensity that's impossible to ignore. Even in his profile picture, Schiele's daring nature is evident. Take a moment to scroll up and pay special attention to his eyes peering into your soul. Could you doubt for even a moment that he sees you exactly as you are?

Also, notice the overemphasized eyes of the women he painted. The women portrayed in these works exhibit a sense of defiance, as evidenced by their direct eyes, use of hand gestures, angularity, and palpable tension. They stare directly through us, not just at us, but through us. They demand our attention, making it impossible for us to look away. It's as if they are speaking, "Look at me. See me. And never forget me." 

What if this was not just a stylistic choice but a deliberate attempt? Could it be that Schiele crafted his work to stir, within the viewer, some deep preconceived paradoxical longing - the eternal struggle - between the wild spirit and the civilized mind? 

Moreover, have you had the opportunity to view Schiele's most renowned masterpiece, The Embrace, created in 1917? To me, the painting conveys the following message: true togetherness is effortless - to be really together because we ARE together as if it were a phenomenon, not something that must be maintained by effort.

The Embrace captures two souls in a unified connectedness of love, sealed by unencumbered passion. As they hold each other, a soft, radiant light seems to emanate, enveloping all who witness this scene. This is not a mere portrayal of romantic love but a glimpse into a sacred moment where a fragment of Heaven merges with the Earth.

Schiele's quote 

"Bodies have their own light which they consume to live: they burn, they are not lit from the outside,"

 adds a deeper layer of meaning to the painting. 

The quote alludes to the idea that there is a powerful force, a sort of inner fire, that ignites the flames of our souls and brings us to a heightened state of awareness. This partly alludes to the 'light we can not see', which remains private and not overtly expressed, leading me to solicit your insights on this and to inquire about your personal experiences:

How did you know that you had found your beloved? Was it through their eyes, touch, or perhaps an arbitrary gesture? Maybe it was a casual word of warmth and fondness that drew you in. Or was it something else entirely?

We hold an inexplicable emotional attachment to certain souls because their steps so seamlessly fit into our own, and their deep eccentricity perfectly reflects our own unique weirdness. Though we may not understand the science behind it, our souls travel to each other long before our physical bodies do, and meetings happen before we even drag ourselves to specific locations.

Shall we say it's a dance of fate and destiny that we cannot control but one that shapes our lives and leaves an indelible mark on our souls? I dont know, but yes. This mystifying, all-consuming force is forever in a state of flux, drawing us closer, pushing us apart, and molding us into the people we are meant to be. And whatever we may make out of it, this force remains elusive, forever beyond our grasp, yet undeniably real, transforming everything on our path.

Furthermore, I want to draw your attention to Scheile's beloved Walburga 'Wally' Neuzil. Schiele and Wally were unmarried and living together, which was considered scandalous at the time. 

During this time, daring and overly erotic portraits of Wally were openly displayed around his studio. He captured her every bend, flex, stretch, and kneel in a compelling and controversial way.

Despite his ability to take something very personal, widen it up, and make it into every man’s experience, Schiele’s work caused enormous outrage, as it didn’t meet the moral expectations of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 

His open display of erotic art led to his arrest on the grounds of 'public immorality.' He was imprisoned for nearly a month, and his drawings were confiscated. One of them was even burned by the judge in the courtroom 8.

Schiele's drawings of Wally suggest that their love affair was deep and passionate, fuelled by the kind of energy that made Schiele feel vulnerable. Wally possessed an abundance of temperament and raw sensuality that drew him in like a moth to a flame. 

Their relationship is immortalized in the painting "Death and the Maiden," where Schiele holds onto his lover, whom he must inevitably let go of. It's a bittersweet reminder of the power of love, the sting of loss, and the inevitable passage of time. Following Wally's departure, Schiele's life took a different turn. 

He married Edith Har, a woman who was, in many ways, the opposite of Wally. Where Wally was tempestuous and passionate, Edith was quiet and demure. Schiele's portraits of her capture this difference, with Edith appearing almost unsure of herself, with her wide eyes, raised eyebrows, and lips stretched in an awkward, shy smile. It is not entirely clear why Schiele chose to marry Edith over Wally. 

However, it is possible that the sense of comfort he found in her reflected the purity he had lost in his own wild and tumultuous life. Edith came with the purity he had been searching for all along, a sense of calm and stability that he had not known before. Tragically, their happiness was short-lived as the Spanish flu swept through Vienna, claiming the lives of Edith, Egon, and their unborn child within days of one another. 

To this day, some critics view Schiele's work as pornographic and disturbing. Some even label him an insane manipulator. But can we really say that Schiele was insane? Perhaps, but even the insane can have talent. He also might've been manipulative, but there is an elegance to his manipulation, not a bullishness.

_________

In parenthesis, dearest reader friend, your willingness to engage with Schiele's story fills me with delight and gratitude. I want to thank you for not plagiarizing my work and for sharing it with proper citations. This is not just a simple gesture on your part but a profound understanding of the countless hours of hyper-focus that went into crafting this story. 

My next story will be about Anna Akhmatova, a beloved poet born under the stars of Cancer. I was so lucky to have Anna's poetry accompany me throughout my university years; her verses are a treasure map I continue to return to. I hope to make it a BEAUTIFUL ONE.