Egon Leo Adolf Schiele (Father: Adolf Schiele; Mother: Marie Soukupová; Spouse: Edith Harms; Model/Partner: Walburga “Wally” Neuzil)

(1890–1918) was a major figure of Austrian Expressionism and one of the most technically gifted draftsmen of the 20th century. His work is celebrated for its raw intensity, psychological depth, and a revolutionary approach to the human form that emphasized distorted linework and jagged, emotive silhouettes.

At age 16, Schiele became the youngest student ever accepted into the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. However, he quickly grew frustrated with the school’s rigid neoclassicism. He sought out Gustav Klimt, who became his mentor and a father figure. While Schiele’s early work was heavily influenced by Klimt’s decorative “Gold Phase,” he soon moved toward a darker, more confrontational aesthetic.

Schiele’s art is defined by its “nervous” line—thin, sharp, and seemingly electrified. He focused intensely on self-portraits and the human figure, often depicting bodies in contorted, expressive poses that conveyed internal angst, sexuality, and the fragility of life. His work was frequently controversial; in 1912, he was arrested and imprisoned for 24 days in Neulengbach on charges of “public immorality,” an event that deeply scarred him but also fueled his artistic defiance.

In 1915, he married Edith Harms, which led to a period of relative stability and a shift toward more monumental, structural compositions. His career reached its zenith at the 49th Vienna Secession exhibition in 1918, where he was hailed as the leading artist of his generation following Klimt’s death. Tragically, just months later, his pregnant wife Edith died of the Spanish Flu; Schiele succumbed to the same pandemic three days later at the young age of 28. In his brief decade of productivity, he created over 300 paintings and several thousand drawings, leaving an indelible mark on modern figurative art.

Active in others filds : Poetry, Set Design (limited), Printmaking.