Egon Schiele (1890 – 1918): The Midnight Soul of the Artist, by Reinhard Steiner

Egon Schiele (1890 – 1918): The Midnight Soul of the Artist, by Reinhard Steiner. 2004 Taschen softcover. 96 pages, very nice condition.

Expressive nudes and self-portraits, strange movements and morbid colors. Egon Schiele is the painter who had the most long-lasting influence on the Vienna art scene after the great era of Klimt came to a close. After a short flirtation with Klimt’s style, Schiele soon questioned the aesthetic orientation to the beautiful surface of the Viennese Art Nouveau with his rough and not easily accessible paintings. Many contemporaries found Schiele’s art to be ugly and even morally objectionable--criticism which culminated in criminalizing the painter as obscene, and resulted in 1912 in an indictment and short jail sentence. However, not even his harshest critics could dispute the artist’s extraordinary drawing talent.

The book features a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his cultural and historical importance, a concise biography, and approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captions.