Style Imitating Art: “Portrait of the Painter Anton Peschka”

Style Imitating Art…

Welcome to Style Imitating Art which comes from Salazar, Shelbee, and me. You can think of this series as fashion meets art museum! SIA challenges people to find inspiration in different art works, create looks based upon that art work, and share them with the curator for that piece. Salazar is this week’s curator with several options for her choice. I hope you enjoy this post, the information, and my interpretation.

How it works…

Every other Monday one of us selects an inspiration piece of art and posts the image on their blog. We then invite others to interpret that art work through their style. The following Monday, we share our outfits. The curator shares submissions the following Wednesday on her blog. Salazar chose this week’s art work for this round of Style Imitating Art. If you’d like, you can read why she chose it here. Please send your photo to Salazar by Tuesday, February 25th, 2025 by 10 pm EST. Style Imitating Art is an interesting way to inspire your outfits. You can see a few of my looks here, here, here, and here.

About the artist…

Oh, this is an interesting one! Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele was born in Tulin, Lower Austria on June 12, 1890. Schiele’s father, Adolf, was German, and his mother, Marie, was born in the Czech Republic. He had three sisters, Elvira, Melanie, and Gertrude. Unfortunately, his father contracted syphilis at some point. The family urban legend was Adolf had gotten the disease because his wife was afraid of consummating their marriage. So, he slept with a lady of the night. The two had become engaged when Marie was 15, and Adolf was 23. It may be that the elder Schiele got syphilis during the three years of their engagement. At some point, the marriage was consummated, and Marie was infected, too. She lost three sons to still birth as well as Elvira in childhood, probably due to the congenital syphilis.

A little more…

Adolf was a station master in Tulin and expected great things from his only son. Signs of his artistic leanings appeared quite early. Schiele would often draw trains for hours. His father, not wanting his son to waste his time on drawing, destroyed those early sketchbooks. Even though his father had also shown an interest in artistic endeavors, it’s believed syphilis affected his thought processes and he often had fits of rage. At the age of 11, Schiele was sent to Krems to Gymnasium (secondary school). Seen as a strange boy and being shy and reserved, Schiele excelled only in athletics and drawing. Moving him to a second Gymnasium did nothing to further his education. Over the years, he was retained a couple of times and was usually the oldest student in the class.

A troubling fascination…

For some reason, Schiele appears to have been sexualized at a young age and developed a sexual interest in his younger sister, Gertrude. His father, suspicious of his only son, once broke down the locked door of a room the two were in. They were developing film. But, the younger Schiele did, more or less, kidnap his sister when he was 16. He took his twelve year old sister by train to Trieste. Google tells me that’s about five hours away from Krems. He did not have permission to do so, and the two spent the night in a hotel room. This information is absent from the Egon Schiele website. I’m not sure if that is a Schiele-sanctioned site, though.

Back to history…

The elder Schiele died from syphilis when Egon was 14. One of the sad symptoms of the disease is mental deterioration. His father had railways stocks (back when the stocks were actual paper you could and would accumulate). During a period of mental instability, the elder Schiele burned those stocks, destroying the wealth the family might have had following his death. The eldest daughter, Melanie, was hired as a ticket clerk at a local railway station and provided the only money for the family. At this time Egon and his sister, Gertrude, became wards of his uncle Leopold Czihaczek, another railway official. While he wanted Egon to continue in the family footsteps, he did recognize the younger Schiele’s aptitude for drawing. He found him a tutor, Ludwig Karl Strauch. For some reason, the uncle gave up his guardianship of Egon forcing him to seek financial support from his mother. Melanie, the true breadwinner, said no way to art lessons which caused a rift in the family. In 1906, Schiele applied at the Kunstgewerberschule (School of Arts and Krafts) in Vienna. During that first year, many of the faculty members insisted he go to the more traditional Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Vienna. Schiele left after three years due to the strict doctrine and ultra-conservative style of his main teacher, Christian Griepenkerl.

Even more…

In 1907, Schiele would finally meet Gustav Klimt. Klimt would have a huge impact on the artist for the rest of his life. During this time, however, Klimt bought Schiele’s drawings, even exchanging some of his own for those of Schiele’s. He arranged models for Schiele and even introduced him to potential patrons. Klimt introduced Schiele to the Wiener Werkstätte which was an arts and crafts workshop connected with the Secession. This was a movement of several Viennese painters to move toward Art Nouveau and away from more traditional styles. From 1907 to 1909, Klimt’s influence is easily seen in Schiele’s work (as well as Art Nouveau). In 1909, Schiele left the art academy (after completing three years…what is it with him and leaving after three years) to found the Neukunstrgruppe (“New Art Group”) with other students. Still heavily influenced by Klimt, his personal style began to evolve. Klimt invited Schiele to the 1909 Vienna Kunstschau. There he saw the works of Edvard Munch, Jan Toorop, and Vincent van Gogh.

Back to that fascination…

It was during this time (1909 and on) that Schiele began to explore both the human form and sexuality. He began to include eroticism such as that seen in Klimt’s work. During this time, he began experimenting with nudes but with his own definitive style stamped upon them…emaciated and sickly colored figures with strong sexual overtones. He also began painting and drawing children which would get him into trouble a little later on. When he was 21, Schiele met Walburga (Wally) Neuzil who was 17 and became the model for some of his “most striking paintings.” The two moved to Český Krumlov, a town in the South Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. This didn’t last long as the residents not only had a problem with their lifestyle (as an unmarried couple) but also the use of the town’s teenage girls as models. The couple moved to Neulengbach looking for not only inspiration but cheap lodgings! Now, I had to remind myself Schiele was only 21 at the time because the next part would seem like a really dumb move. The two welcomed young people and teenagers to their studio. This, coupled with his bohemian lifestyle (ironic, I know), resulted in an arrest for suspicion of kidnapping and seducing a girl of 13. I urge you to read this account on the Schiele website I mentioned earlier. It has a different perspective and may be a bit biased. But, it does paint (pardon the pun) Schiele in a more favorable light.

A little more…

As the police searched Schiele’s studio, they found more than 100 drawings which they considered pornographic. The charges were dropped, but the artist “was found guilty of exhibiting erotic drawings in a place accessible to children. In court, the judge burned one of the drawings (‘depicting a very young girl dressed only above the waist’) over a candle flame (source).” As he had already spent 21 days in custody, the judge sentenced him to three more days.

World War I…

In 1914, Schiele decided to marry Edith Harms. The Harms family lived across the street from his studio. A middle class family and Protestant, Schiele apparently thought this marriage would bring him some kind of acceptance and cache. Wally (with whom he had intended to continue his affair) was having none of it, left him, and never saw him again. Schiele and Edith were married on June 17, 1915. One June 20, he was ordered to report for active service in the army. This led to a period of little painting as his surroundings weren’t always conducive to painting. He began in Prague where Edith had followed him. She lived in a hotel while he lived in an exhibition hall (quite appropriate) with other conscripts. The newlyweds were allowed to see each other every once in a while. He would paint whenever possible, depending on place and amount of time. His paintings grew larger and more detailed. Surprisingly, he continued to exhibit in galleries and shows.

Even more…

Schiele’s first duties as an army recruit were to guard and escort Russian prisoners. Eventually, due to his weak heart and excellent handwriting, he became a clerk in a POW camp. He was allowed to draw and paint Russian officers. He had an unused store room for a studio as well as being in charge of food stores. This meant he and Edith ate better than most. By 1917, Schiele was back in Vienna and really focusing on his career. He displayed 50 works at the Secession’s 49th exhibition. These were also displayed in the main hall. Because the show was a huge success, Schiele could increase the prices on his drawings. He also received many portrait commissions.

Finally…

The young couple was finally able to settle down and begin a family. But, in the autumn of 1918, the Spanish flu pandemic hit Vienna. Edith, six months pregnant at the time, died on October 28. Schiele died on October 31, three days later. His last visitors were his mother and his sister, Melanie. He was 28 years old. In his short career, Schiele produced more than 300 oil paintings and thousands of drawings on paper.

Style…

Many look at Schiele’s work as erotic, pornographic, or disturbing. They seem to focus on sex and death. Some critics and scholars theorize he was fluid in his seuxality and gender…that perhaps, he was “struggling with his own sexual feelings and gender norms.” Some see his artwork as queer. I’ll be honest. I don’t see it as any of that other than perhaps a little disturbing. I didn’t exactly go looking for his nudes, though. Schiele’s life has been chronicled in books, films, documentaries, songs, and even an album cover. David Bowie’s 1979 Lodger cover is inspired by Schiele’s self-portraits.

The art work…

The painting is oil on canvas and measures 43.44 x 40 in (110.2 x 100 cm). It was painted in 1909 in Vienna and is in the Art Nouveau style. The painting is in a private collection. It shows Anton Peschka, a friend of Schiele’s and fellow painter, sitting, perhaps contemplating his next painting. Schiele uses forms and colors that are typical of his work and the Art Nouveau movement. The color palette is pastels with muted colors accenting the figure and background. You can also see floral motifs which stand in contrast to the rest of the portrait. Schiele’s signature appears in the lower right corner.

My interpretation…

I think this may be, if not the most difficult, at least one of the top five SIA challenges. I’m not sure why, but I just couldn’t get a handle on the painting. I find it beautiful and a bit elusive if that can be said of a painting. So, I went with my gut which hasn’t steered me wrong yet for these art challenges. I’m wearing an old kimono from Kantha Bae. I felt it picked out the color palette and provides a bit of that Art Nouveau vibe (and maybe even some Art Deco). This kimono is actually quite intricate. There is the bottom layer which just wraps around. Then there is the top layer with the tales which I tie in front. Some people tie them in back, but I’m not that little! And, the pattern gets lost.

The Lewk!

While you can’t see Anton Peschka’s shoes, I’d like to think he’s wearing brown shoes because that’s what I’m wearing! Actually, since he’s wearing a pink suit, my guess is he’s wearing some really fabulous boots! My fabulous boots are my brandy Leighton boots from Miz Mooz. This leather just gets softer and softer. I wanted something to reflect the textures you can see in the painting so I went with lots of beaded bracelets in different media. Some of the bracelets are from Allie & Bess. I picked up some of them at a little boutique in Fishers. And, the large white multi-stranded bracelet came from the gift shop at Newfields as did the earrings. The J Jill necklace is from last summer (or the one before).

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I have to believe this is one of the hardest Style Imitating Art challenges I’ve been in so far. It’s funny because I think this portrait is really beautiful. I guess, sometimes, you just can’t make it work. So, can we talk? What do you think of the various elements in this portrait? Were you shocked at Schiele’s relationship with his sister? Do you think it was a result of the probably problematic atmosphere of his family home given his father’s disease? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.

Don’t forget…

If you want to be included in the Style Imitating Art round up, send Salazar your photo by 10:00 pm EST Tuesday, February 25th. Photos of everyone participating will appear on Salazar’s blog on Wednesday, February 26th! If you’re interested in join us, consider all of your options…the colors, the lines, the textures! Come on, give it a try! I think you’ll love it!

Thank you!

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

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Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

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