Master of Line

Exhibition commemorates centenary of Egon Schiele’s death from Spanish flu

NEW YORK — The Spanish Flu pandemic that swept the post-World War I planet took the life of more than 50 million people. Among the dead was a 28-year-old Viennese painter and his pregnant wife.

In the 100 years since his death, Egon Schiele’s reputation has steadily grown. To mark the anniversary of his death, major exhibitions have been mounted in London, New York, Liverpool and Paris, with two in Vienna. The most recent opened in early November at Galerie St. Etienne in New York, the scene of Schiele’s first one-man American show in 1941.

Galerie St. Etienne is one of my favorite places to visit whenever I am in the Big Apple, and when I found out they were mounting a Schiele exhibit, I knew a trip was in order. The gallery is small, with an emphasis on German and Austrian art from the early 20th century, and their exhibits are consistently excellent.

The current exhibit, “Egon Schiele: In Search of the Perfect Line,” is an excellent example, featuring 46 works on paper ranging from aged 16 to his death at 28. The “Perfect Line” of the title references Schiele’s greatest strength — the magnificence of the line work in his drawings.

The exhibition begins with traditional drawings, full of subtle shading, typical of a young artist. “Portrait of a Man” is a beautiful study that shows his prodigious talent. But by the age of 19, he was already finding a style that pushed the envelope beyond mere representation toward the expressive.

His figurative work, such as “Portrait of a Woman With an Orange Hat” and “Young Girl with Hand to Face,” shows his mastery of line. Schiele’s mature style is represented with group of Fauve-ish gouache, watercolor and charcoal works that show his signature elongated style, including “Male Nude” and “Reclining Male Nude.”

The fluidity of his line work is evident in the buildings of “City Houses” and especially “Houses in Krumau.” The village is rendered in simple lines, yet it is clearly a real place, a vibrant community. What is not drawn is suggested, and we believe it is a real place.

The small offset room has 10 of his most beautiful pieces. Schiele’s reputation is built on his drawings of women. There is definitely an eroticism at play, but Schiele does not approach the figures with the typical male gaze. The women in the drawings seem to own their sexuality. Far from being mere objects, their penetrating gaze challenges the viewer, as if reclaiming their sexuality for themselves.

Their poses are sexual, yet they are not coy. When Eduoard Manet first exhibited “Olympia,” people were shocked because she was looking straight out at the viewer, rejecting the coyness expected of the classical nude. Schiele takes it one step further. His nudes not only are not coy; they seem to be inviting — but on their terms.

At this point, it seems appropriate to issue the disclaimer that I am a male. So, can I truly make judgments on the nudes without them being subjected to the male gaze? So I took my daughter, Bridie, to the show, and we talked about it. Of course, she is a fan of Schiele’s and has been for many years, but I wanted to find out why. What was it about these naked women that she liked?

About “Reclining Woman With Green Stockings,” she said, “She looks like she’s about to kick your ass.” Again and again, Bridie related to the strength of the women in the drawings — often his wife Edith or his lover Wally. The women consistently look empowered. In “Green Stocking,” the model has her legs spread invitingly, but her arms are muscular, something society didn’t really prize until the 1980s workout craze. If her arms were softer, more “womanly,” then maybe her look could be interpreted as “come hither,” but she doesn’t look as though she is vulnerable. She is strong and knows what she is doing.

Schiele’s models were often prostitutes, women who knew how to use their sexuality to get what they wanted.

A careful examination of the poses reveals that they are actually in poses that are natural, as if Schiele said, “Get comfortable.” In “Seated Nude with Right Knee Raised, Looking to the Right,” the model sits on the floor, one knee pulled up with her hands around the knee — a comfortable pose.

Schiele’s line is simply magnificent, and I have written often about it. The subtle gouache and pastel that he adds to them are simply there to suggest color, suggest a translucent skin tone. Schiele really sees the line, the beauty of the sweeping line that runs down the thigh or along the back. There is clearly a love of the form — not just as a woman, but as a perfection of the form.

Schiele is, if not the best, one of the best purveyors of line in the history of art. He has the ability to capture more than just what is seen, but the essence of what he is drawing. One can only imagine where he would have gone had he not died so young. As it is, he left more than 300 paintings and 3,000 drawings. Schiele is a giant of 20th-century art whose reputation is continuing to rise — any artist should try to replicate his skill with the line. Only then can one truly appreciate his brilliance.

“The Perfect Line” is on display through March 2. Galerie St. Etienne is located at 24 West 57th St. in

New York.

For more, visit www.gseart.com.

Story by Andy Coughlan, ISSUE editor

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