Egon Schiele, "Port of Trieste"
I have showed you a Egon Schiele (1990-1918) landscape before this one, but it has been a while. I am not drawn to a large majority of his work, but his landscapes are always a unique experience. This one attracted my attention because of the color and then the media. It is an oil and pencil on cardboard. Give that some thought.
Today's cardboard is not considered a suitable surface to work on or even mount a paper on because of the acidity, but hopefully in 1907 cardboard was constructed differently.
I do not work in oils. It is a marvelous media but it does have a distinctive odor and it takes months for it to dry completely. So oil and pencil? I am interested to read what Char has to write on this topic. Schiele probably created those lines with the pencil, but did he do it when the paint was wet, or waited until it was dry. My guess is that could be both. I wonder if the lines in the water were "dug" into the wet paint but the lines in the large side of the boat at upper left he drew on dry oil.
Of course, it makes little difference, but I love those water lines. They are very typical of Schiele's other work, and yet perfectly illustrate the movement and reflection of the water. I am also drawn to the color, especially the turquise green which begins on the lower left and moves up diagonally, stops with the red, black.
Plus this is such an interesting composition. If I was walking along a pier and saw these five vessels tied up on the water's edge, I don't know if it would have attracted me. But Schiele was, and thank goodness, what a beautiful painting of something I would probably have completely missed.
I started painting in oils for quite some time before I was introduced to acrylics, and never went back because of the paint thinner smell and long drying. I did like the flow of oil paint, and I believe he could have created those pencil lines in wet paint. I checked his bio and other work and was amazed at the variety and amount he did, since he died so young at 28. He seemed to be an outsider, but one can see the influence of other artists in his work. His strange demeanor came through in some weird but skillful works, some bold and subjective, and not always accepted. I am fascinated by his creative (?) mind and especially the facial expressions. I was reminded of Shel Silversteins illustrations!! He used lines a lot. This painting is different. He was very familiar with the subject and details. I can imagine a large scene beyond the border of this painting. The composition is amazing, I love the reflective wavy lines and his color choice. An interesting painting to study!! Yes, cardboard is surprising!
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