Egon Schiele Lot n° 703

Egon Schiele (1890 Tulln/Danube - Vienna 1918) - Study for an unfinished painting. Watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper. (1911). Approx. 10.5 x 16.5 cm. Kallir D 981. - Characteristic multi-figure and two-dimensional composition from 1911 - The work was shown at the Schiele memorial exhibition at the Albertina in Vienna in 1948 - From the collection of Otto Benesch, curator and director of the Albertina, Vienna In 1911, Egon Schiele dealt with more complex themes and allegories than in previous years. As the new motifs now feature several figures, new compositional solutions are also required. Schiele removed the real world from the motifs, similar to his role model and patron Gustav Klimt. But unlike Klimt, who surrounded his realistically rendered figures with lavish, decorative frames, Schiele opted for a purely abstract space without any decorative structure in the Expressionist sense. Instead, he breaks down the picture plane into geometric-abstract forms which, as in Klimt's work, are neither fully integrated into the figural components nor completely separate. In Schiele's work, they coexist uneasily. In 1911, Schiele preferred watercolor painting in the majority of his works. He repeatedly used strong color combinations of red-orange tones and black, and later in the year also more muted combinations of blue, black and dark violet. Schiele uses pencil sketches to divide the sheet into different color areas, which are then filled in with color. In this way, he develops purely two-dimensional motifs and refrains from creating a realistic volume. The surface structure is characterized by the flow of the wet, sometimes already watery paint on the paper rather than by brushstrokes. The small watercolor study is exemplary for the year 1911 in terms of both composition and painting technique: the multi-figure composition against an abstract background features the characteristic orange/yellow and black color scheme, while the structure of the wet watercolor is clearly visible in the pre-drawn areas. Even if this study did not directly serve as a model for a painting, compositional similarities to the paintings "Procession" and "Two standing figures in habit-like clothing (Jesuits)" (Kallir P 197 and P 198) can be recognized. Exhibition: Egon Schiele: Memorial Exhibition, Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna 1948, cat. no. 109; Egon Schiele: Vom Schüler zum Meister/Da allievo a maestro, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna and others 1984-1987, cat. no. 41; Egon Schiele, Pinacoteca Capitolina, Rome/Museo d'Arte Moderna Ca' Pesaro, Venice 1984, cat. no. 88; Egon Schiele, Mezinárodní kulturní centrum Egona Schieleho, Krumau/Moldau 1993-1997, p. 130/131; Neue Galerie, New York 2010/11; Drawing the Line: Realism and Abstraction in Expressionist Art, Galerie St. Etienne, New York 2018 Provenance: Otto Benesch Collection (1896-1964), Vienna/Cambridge (USA)/New York; Serge Sabarsky Collection/Asset, New York, acquired ca. 1983; Collection/Foundation Vally Sabarsky, New York. Taxation: taxed by difference plus 7% (VAT: Margin Scheme (non EU)).