Exhibition Report and thought : Egon Schiele

The Somerset house has been holding an exciting exhibition, called “Egon Schiele: The Radical Nude.” (from 23rd October 2014 to 18th January 2015) I was initially composing a blog-post in relation to Aubrey Beardsley, but after the exhibition of Schiele, I could not avoid seeing similarities between the works of the two artists, especially with regard to their female nude figures. However, I could not immediately explain this feeling that they appear to be linked. Whereas Beardsely’s works explicitly show the influence of Japonism, Schiele’s, as far as I can see, do not. But all of the human figures the artists depict convey to us grotesque, provocative, perverse and highly sexualised elements, and also gave me an impression of a similar spirit of decadence and quirkiness. What is the feature that evokes this impression most of all? My thought has been occupied with this interrogation; and what I found is this: Their nude images share a similar eroticism that is emphasised by the idea of dressing and undressing, which can also be seen in the female figures in Japanese prints.

Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) was born in Brighton and his talent was discovered early; Indeed, when he was 10 years old, he was commissioned for his drawing. After initially working for an insurance company, he became the first art editor of a controversial, decadent magazine, The Yellow Book (published from 1894-7). The works of Beardsley symbolise the atmosphere of the fin de siècle, that is a trend towards decadence, aestheticism, and symbolism in the visual arts. Beardsley contributed the illustrations of the notorious and scandalous play Salome by Oscar Wilde. This collaboration with the novelist increases the public impression of the quirkiness of the artist. Sadly, we have a limited scope to assess this talented artist, because he died at the young age of 25 years old.

What is most remarkable in Beardsley’s illustrations are the unorthodox images influenced by Japanese prints. His work embodies Japonism of the time, which was at its height. It is believed that Beardsley may have owned and borrowed a number of Japanese prints including Shunga, that is pornographic illustrations. ( I am not going to show the images as some people might find them disturbing. But here is a link for the intrepid!) The elements of Shunga are suggested in Beardsley works not least in the ridiculously gigantic male genitals. But what I want to consider is the combination of female nudes and beautiful dresses that both cover and reveal the body. This type of eroticism can often be seen in Japanese prints. For example, in Lovers in the Upstairs Room of a Tearoom (1788) by Kitagawa Utamaro, the love making is partly shown and partly hidden. While the artist gives the viewer the voyeuristic view, the female figure’s legs and neck are contrasted with her beautiful kimono. The legs are seen through black transparent fabric, which especially combines erotic and aesthetic elements. Like Utamaro’s image, in a number of love-making scenes in Shunga, the female figures are not fully undressed: They are half naked as opposed to the fully naked or clothed male figures. Those female bodies are aestheticised by the beautiful and colorful kimonos and the pieces also embody the male fantasy of undressing the objects of his affection.

Utamaro Kitagawa Lovers in the Upstairs Room of a Tearoom (1788) British Museum.

Utamaro, Kitagawa, A Woman and A Cat (1793-4) The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image of a half nude with an aesthetic dress can be seen in Beardsley’s images. In one of his Salome illustrations, The Stomack Dance, depicting the most sexual scene in the play where Salome dances for King Herod, the combination of dressing and undressing is shown. Although she is almost nude, her body is partly and elaborately dressed: She is wearing a kimono sash belt (Obi) around her high waist, as if she is wearing kimono. Similarly, in John and Salome and Enter Herodias, Salome and Herodias again wear kimono-like costumes which reveal their breasts and bellies providing an aesthetic contrast to the eroticism. Beardsley might have learnt the symmetrical balance between the dressed and undressed element from Japanese Shunga images.

Beardsley, The Stomack Dance (1894)

Beardsley, John and Salome

Beardsley, Enter Herodias

Now in relation to the Austrian artist Egon Schiele (1890-1918), a similar facet can be seen in his female nude figures. Schiele’s life, like Beardsley’s, was short as he passed away at 28. However, he produced a substantial number of drawings including many provocative nudes. Schiele’s direct mentor is known to be Gustav Klimt. However compared with the mentor’s style, (believed to be influenced by Japanese art. ) Schiele’s composition and colour are relatively minimalised and reduced, and also the background is as blank as that of Ukiyo-e. His nudes could be as provocative as Shunga and also highlight the combination of aesthetic and erotic elements of the female figures, in other words, dressed and undressed. For instance, as can be seen in Standing Female Nude in Blue, (1913), Semi-Nude in Black Stockings and Red Garter (1913), and Crouching Woman with Green Kerchief (1914), and Female Nude Lying on her Stomach (1917), Schiele does not reveal his female nude in full. He contrasts the eroticised undressed bodies and the distinctive colours in which they are covered including their stocking and red garter, blue blanket or green kerchief. He seems to be especially obsessed with the half nude figure wearing black stockings, (stockings used to be associated with prostitution), and it could again epitomise one’s fantasy of undressing women. Schiele, as well as Beardsley, contrasts aesthetically the body disclosed with the hint of eroticism with his arts including the garments chosen.

Schiele, Standing Female Nude in Blue, (1913),

Schiele, Semi-Nude in Black Stockings and Red Garter (1913)

Schiele, Crouching Woman with Green Kerchief (1914)

Schiele, Female Nude Lying on her Stomach (1917)

Gustav Klimt, Lady with Fan (1918)

I have not done a lot of research on Schiele yet, so I cannot conclude that there is a definite influence from Japanese art but I believe the ways in which Beardsley, Schiele and Ukiyo-e convey the marriage of the erotic and the aesthetic are striking and worthy of further study.