Egon Schiele, Portrait of his family, (unfinished) 1918
In 1918, at the age of 28, Austrian artist Egon Schiele began painting a portrait of his new family. That autumn, Egon, his wife Edith, and their unborn baby died. They were among millions of people who succumbed to the Spanish flu that year.
Gustav Klimpt, Portrait of Amalie Zuckerk, (unfinished) 1917-1918
Before his death, Schiele mourned his mentor and friend, the artist Gustav Klimt. Following a stroke, Klimt had died from the flu that February, at the age of 55. Schiele sketched a portrait of Klimt on his deathbed.
Egon Schiele, Portrait of Gustav Klimpt, 1918
Another artist who caught the flu but luckily survived was Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. While many of his early works convey haunting scenes of the death of his sister as well as fears of his own death, Munch’s Spanish flu paintings read more direct that the earlier dream-styled works.
Edvard Munch, Self-Portrait with the Spanish Flu, 1919
During 1919 Munch painted a series of self portraits documenting his bout with the Spanish Flu. In the first (above) his mouth is open as if a corpse. In the second, he leans towards the viewer with pale lips and feverish face. In the last (below) he appears to stagger forward, normal color returning.
Edvard Munch, Self-Portrait with the Spanish Flu, 1919Edvard Munch, Self-Portrait with the Spanish Flu, 1919
The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic lasted from January 1918 to December 1920. 500 million people were infected – 25% of the world’s population at the time. I hope the comparisons of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 to the present day’s Coronavirus are not too foretelling. It’s disconcerting how similar the illustration “Germicide Rush” is to the present day.
Germicide Rush, 1918, National Library of Medicine, Fine Art America
Below is a video by Proko showing a brief overview of basic drawing supplies, and a demo for how to hand sharpen a soft charcoal pencil. He explains what the weird sandpaper thingy is for.
Take a class with SAL – anywhere! In a V. Note from November 2016, I shared “Democracy Has Bad Taste”, and an audio interview on BBC with Grayson Perry. I’ve had pottery on the brain lately (I’m excited for our ceramics studio to open) so today I’m looping back to share some of Perry’s pottery. …
[image_with_animation image_url=”7459″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Andrea Myers Find an old catalogue, magazine, maps, or a stack of used paper. Working with an x-acto blade, or tearing by hand, remove paper to create windows to previous layers. If using a blade, slip a cutting mat or piece of matboard between the pages. Take a picture …
I said all work for the Big League show must be ready to hang, and here I am, bringing in my drawing on paper, no frame. No problem. I’ll use binder clips or magnets to get it on the wall. If you have a study on paper and no frame, no problem. Bring it in …
1918
In 1918, at the age of 28, Austrian artist Egon Schiele began painting a portrait of his new family. That autumn, Egon, his wife Edith, and their unborn baby died. They were among millions of people who succumbed to the Spanish flu that year.
Before his death, Schiele mourned his mentor and friend, the artist Gustav Klimt. Following a stroke, Klimt had died from the flu that February, at the age of 55. Schiele sketched a portrait of Klimt on his deathbed.
Another artist who caught the flu but luckily survived was Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. While many of his early works convey haunting scenes of the death of his sister as well as fears of his own death, Munch’s Spanish flu paintings read more direct that the earlier dream-styled works.
During 1919 Munch painted a series of self portraits documenting his bout with the Spanish Flu. In the first (above) his mouth is open as if a corpse. In the second, he leans towards the viewer with pale lips and feverish face. In the last (below) he appears to stagger forward, normal color returning.
The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic lasted from January 1918 to December 1920. 500 million people were infected – 25% of the world’s population at the time. I hope the comparisons of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 to the present day’s Coronavirus are not too foretelling. It’s disconcerting how similar the illustration “Germicide Rush” is to the present day.
Stay well, friends.
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Below is a video by Proko showing a brief overview of basic drawing supplies, and a demo for how to hand sharpen a soft charcoal pencil. He explains what the weird sandpaper thingy is for.
Grayson Perry’s Pottery
Take a class with SAL – anywhere! In a V. Note from November 2016, I shared “Democracy Has Bad Taste”, and an audio interview on BBC with Grayson Perry. I’ve had pottery on the brain lately (I’m excited for our ceramics studio to open) so today I’m looping back to share some of Perry’s pottery. …
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[image_with_animation image_url=”7459″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Andrea Myers Find an old catalogue, magazine, maps, or a stack of used paper. Working with an x-acto blade, or tearing by hand, remove paper to create windows to previous layers. If using a blade, slip a cutting mat or piece of matboard between the pages. Take a picture …
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