Object number2023.4.7

Männlicher Akt (Selbstbildnis) I

Portfolio/Seriesfrom the Sema Portfolio

Date1912

Artist Egon Schiele (Austrian, 1890 - 1918)

Publisher Delphin-Verlag (German, 1911 - 1945)

CultureAustrian, Czech

MediumLithograph on Japan paper

Editionfrom or before the deluxe edition of 15 impressions of the Sema Portfolio

DimensionsImage: 20 7/8 x 16 in. (53 x 40.6 cm)
Mount: 25 1/8 x 17 9/16 in. (63.8 x 44.6 cm)
Matted: 27 15/16 x 21 15/16 in. (71 x 55.7 cm)

Credit LineBequest of Lynn Gross Straus, class of 1946

Period20th c

Classification(s)

SignedOn recto within image, signed lower left in pencil: EGON / SCHIELE; printed signature within image, lower right: EGON / SCHIELE

InscribedOn recto within image, by artist, lower left in pencil: 1912.; printed date within image, lower right: 1912.

MarkingsOn recto printed within image of three curving horizontal bands that dip down at the ends and the center, intersected at center with the same vertical line [Sema Artist's Association signet] lower left

Catalogue raisonnéKallir G1BibliographyBolliger, Hans, and E.W. Kornfeld. “Verzeichnis des graphischen Werkes.” Egon Schiele: Bilder, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, Graphik (Lagerkatalog 57). Bern: Gutekunst & Klipstein, 1956, no. I; Schwarz, Heinrich. "Die Graphischen Werke von Egon Schiele." Philobiblon, vol. 5, no. 1 (March 1961), and vol. 6, no. 2 (June 1962), no. 1 ProvenanceThe Galerie St. Etienne, New York

Vassar Exhibitions

A Living Legacy: Gifts from Lynn Gross Straus

Label TextEgon Schiele’s nude self-portrait centers on sexually and psychologically charged imagery that seems to reflect emotional distress. The curved lines and a strong dependence on negative space create a striking representation of the human form. Yet, in many of his self-portraits, Schiele depicted himself in a contorted pose, as if he had amputated limbs. Portraying himself in this manner within a neutral environment emphasized his mental state rather than his outward appearance. As Schiele noted, “My outward bearing does not agree with my inner needs.”

DescriptionA male nude visible from the thighs upwards with arms held behind the back and to the right, visible until the forearm. A small amount of shadow is visible behind parts of the body. The work is composed of a blend of thin undulating linework for the frame of the body, with the details rendered in thicker, heavy lines.

Terms

male

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu