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Lot Essay
Egon Schiele’s Zwei Frauenakte, liegend und kniend (Die Freundinnen) is a painterly composition rendered in eloquent, calligraphic line. Set against seemingly infinite empty space, two nude females share an affectionate if enigmatic interaction, their soft, sensual bodies amplified by flashes of bright colour. Their limbs have been deftly outlined to show their physicality.
In the coming years, the crouching figure would become a chief preoccupation for the artist, informing a series of oil paintings including Tod und Mädchen (Kallir, no. 289; Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna).
The fair-haired figure in Zwei Frauenakte, liegend und kniend (Die Freundinnen) is believed to be Valerie Neuzil, known as Wally, Schiele’s girlfriend and principal model of the period; she also posed for Gustav Klimt, who likely introduced her to Schiele. Neuzil has been identified in the present work by her golden-red hair and thick headband, an accessory often included in her portraits. She played a crucial role in Schiele’s art by further encouraging a visual and erotic intensity within his oeuvre, captivating him both romantically and aesthetically.
As a result of this relationship – the artist’s first significant one – Schiele’s visual output gained a broader sensitivity for the human body. While much of his work thus far had portrayed his ‘fantasies’, now his female models appear to be individuals with their own personalities (J. Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, London, 1998, p. 111). Moreover, Schiele became bolder and even more unconventional in his subject matter as he sought to represent a person’s internal psychology through expressive poses. In the present work, the women’s positions suggest an intimacy through touch, and the contact between the two is imbued with a sentiment of tender concern, a sense underscored by the works subtitle ‘the friends’.
1912 was a tumultuous year for Schiele. On 13 April, he was arrested and detained on allegations of kidnapping and offenses against public morality. He remained in prison for several weeks before the charges were dropped. In spite of this period of incarceration, however, he was exhibiting more than ever – including in that year’s Hagenbund, an artist’s association similar to the Viennese Secession – and beginning to receive favourable reviews. While his choice of subject matter could still shock, critics complimented his handling and treatment: writing in the Neue Freie Presse, A. F. Seligmann observed in Schiele’s artworks ‘a sophisticated virtuosity of line, a highly idiosyncratic taste for colour, and a strong feeling for effect’ (quoted in ibid., p. 144). This use of an elegant, confident line is particularly evident in the contours of the two women in the present work.
Zwei Frauenakte, liegend und kniend (Die Freundinnen) dates from one of Schiele’s most prolific, and transformative, graphic periods. His earlier drawings featured a colder, more detached aesthetic that scandalised his contemporaries. By 1912, however, his models had become dimensional and lifelike, their flesh rosier and more naturalistic. This was achieved in part through his use of watercolour to shade his images. At first Schiele favoured lighter, more limpid shades before introducing richer hues in the latter half of the year; the beginnings of this shift can be seen in Zwei Frauenakte, liegend und kniend (Die Freundinnen). What unites the works of this period are the unusual compositional formats: Schiele’s subjects were shown from unexpected vantage points and they often fill the entire space of the paper. The result is a visual cohesion that moves beyond the informal sketch. In his drawing practice, Schiele found a graphic unity.
In the coming years, the crouching figure would become a chief preoccupation for the artist, informing a series of oil paintings including Tod und Mädchen (Kallir, no. 289; Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna).
The fair-haired figure in Zwei Frauenakte, liegend und kniend (Die Freundinnen) is believed to be Valerie Neuzil, known as Wally, Schiele’s girlfriend and principal model of the period; she also posed for Gustav Klimt, who likely introduced her to Schiele. Neuzil has been identified in the present work by her golden-red hair and thick headband, an accessory often included in her portraits. She played a crucial role in Schiele’s art by further encouraging a visual and erotic intensity within his oeuvre, captivating him both romantically and aesthetically.
As a result of this relationship – the artist’s first significant one – Schiele’s visual output gained a broader sensitivity for the human body. While much of his work thus far had portrayed his ‘fantasies’, now his female models appear to be individuals with their own personalities (J. Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, London, 1998, p. 111). Moreover, Schiele became bolder and even more unconventional in his subject matter as he sought to represent a person’s internal psychology through expressive poses. In the present work, the women’s positions suggest an intimacy through touch, and the contact between the two is imbued with a sentiment of tender concern, a sense underscored by the works subtitle ‘the friends’.
1912 was a tumultuous year for Schiele. On 13 April, he was arrested and detained on allegations of kidnapping and offenses against public morality. He remained in prison for several weeks before the charges were dropped. In spite of this period of incarceration, however, he was exhibiting more than ever – including in that year’s Hagenbund, an artist’s association similar to the Viennese Secession – and beginning to receive favourable reviews. While his choice of subject matter could still shock, critics complimented his handling and treatment: writing in the Neue Freie Presse, A. F. Seligmann observed in Schiele’s artworks ‘a sophisticated virtuosity of line, a highly idiosyncratic taste for colour, and a strong feeling for effect’ (quoted in ibid., p. 144). This use of an elegant, confident line is particularly evident in the contours of the two women in the present work.
Zwei Frauenakte, liegend und kniend (Die Freundinnen) dates from one of Schiele’s most prolific, and transformative, graphic periods. His earlier drawings featured a colder, more detached aesthetic that scandalised his contemporaries. By 1912, however, his models had become dimensional and lifelike, their flesh rosier and more naturalistic. This was achieved in part through his use of watercolour to shade his images. At first Schiele favoured lighter, more limpid shades before introducing richer hues in the latter half of the year; the beginnings of this shift can be seen in Zwei Frauenakte, liegend und kniend (Die Freundinnen). What unites the works of this period are the unusual compositional formats: Schiele’s subjects were shown from unexpected vantage points and they often fill the entire space of the paper. The result is a visual cohesion that moves beyond the informal sketch. In his drawing practice, Schiele found a graphic unity.