polity austro hungarian empireconcept:era modern
Self-Portrait with Physalis
Oil on panel (1912) by Egon Schiele. A self-portrait depicting Schiele's characteristic angularity and emotional intensity, holding a physalis (Chinese lantern plant). Painted the year he was imprisoned on charges related to exhibiting erotic works near minors. One of his most psychologically concentrated self-examinations.
Scholarly Significance
Schiele's Self-Portrait with Physalis (1912) is his canonical mature self-portrait, painted the year of his imprisonment. The physalis (Chinese lantern) symbolizes impermanence and the body's fragility.
Notes
- ·Painted in 1912, the year Schiele was arrested in Neulengbach, accused of seducing a minor (charges largely dropped) and exhibiting erotic works accessible to children; he spent 24 days in prison.
- ·The physalis (Physalis alkekengi, Chinese lantern plant) — orange berries in a papery case — was used by Schiele as a symbol of the fragile human body and the imminence of death.
- ·The self-portrait format was central to Schiele's practice: he produced more self-portraits than any other early modern artist except Rembrandt.
- ·The angular, splayed fingers, elongated neck, and intense gaze are characteristic of Schiele's mature style.
- ·Rudolf Leopold assembled the world's largest Schiele collection; the Leopold Museum (opened 2001) holds over 41 Schiele oil paintings and over 2,500 drawings.
- ·Some Leopold Museum Schieles have been subject to repatriation claims; several works were resolved through agreements with heirs.