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Lot Essay
Jane Kallir has confirmed the authenticity of this drawing and has assigned it the number D965a in her archives.
One of Schiele's first self-depictions indulging in a sexual act, Erotische Szene (Erotic Scene) belongs to an important group of highly erotic drawings and watercolours that the artist made in 1911, when he first began to explore his sexuality. Sex and the self were the two predominant themes in Schiele's work of this period along with their ever-present twin, death. For Schiele, as they were for Sigmund Freud and much of Viennese society at this time, the raw underground forces of Eros and Thanatos seemed to be the vital motivating impulses of life bursting through the cracks in the glittering facade of Imperial Viennese culture.
Schiele was both fascinated and fearful of sex. His father had died of a sexual disease and he seems to have had what Freud described as a pronounced madonna/whore complex in his attitude towards women. It is this paradox that many of his works address. As in his other highly sexualised studies from this period, in this fluid and swiftly-executed drawing, Schiele's interest lies predominantly with the heightened state of being of the individual and the expressive pictorial possibilities of rendering this. In this work, it is seemingly with his own psychological state that Schiele appears most interested, drawing himself staring fiercely at his own image as if seeking out a visual correlation with his inner sensation and emotion. It is quite possible that the other figure in the present work is Valerie Neuzil, or 'Wally', whom Schiele met in or just before 1911, and who would serve as the artist's companion, confidant and muse until 1915.
Bearing the collector's mark on the back of the work, this drawing belonged to the collection of Eric Lederer, one of Schiele's most avid admirers. Later becoming a leading expert in the field of Italian Renaissance bronzes, Erich also continued to be an important champion of Schiele's art after the artist's death, collecting his work and defending it publicly against much of the adverse criticism it received.
Jane Kallir has noted that the signature on this work is atypical, although Schiele did experiment with various signature and inscription styles in 1911 (c.f. email correspondence to Jason Carey, 24 November 2010).
One of Schiele's first self-depictions indulging in a sexual act, Erotische Szene (Erotic Scene) belongs to an important group of highly erotic drawings and watercolours that the artist made in 1911, when he first began to explore his sexuality. Sex and the self were the two predominant themes in Schiele's work of this period along with their ever-present twin, death. For Schiele, as they were for Sigmund Freud and much of Viennese society at this time, the raw underground forces of Eros and Thanatos seemed to be the vital motivating impulses of life bursting through the cracks in the glittering facade of Imperial Viennese culture.
Schiele was both fascinated and fearful of sex. His father had died of a sexual disease and he seems to have had what Freud described as a pronounced madonna/whore complex in his attitude towards women. It is this paradox that many of his works address. As in his other highly sexualised studies from this period, in this fluid and swiftly-executed drawing, Schiele's interest lies predominantly with the heightened state of being of the individual and the expressive pictorial possibilities of rendering this. In this work, it is seemingly with his own psychological state that Schiele appears most interested, drawing himself staring fiercely at his own image as if seeking out a visual correlation with his inner sensation and emotion. It is quite possible that the other figure in the present work is Valerie Neuzil, or 'Wally', whom Schiele met in or just before 1911, and who would serve as the artist's companion, confidant and muse until 1915.
Bearing the collector's mark on the back of the work, this drawing belonged to the collection of Eric Lederer, one of Schiele's most avid admirers. Later becoming a leading expert in the field of Italian Renaissance bronzes, Erich also continued to be an important champion of Schiele's art after the artist's death, collecting his work and defending it publicly against much of the adverse criticism it received.
Jane Kallir has noted that the signature on this work is atypical, although Schiele did experiment with various signature and inscription styles in 1911 (c.f. email correspondence to Jason Carey, 24 November 2010).