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
This is the first of four V. Notes highlighting black artists with professional careers in both painting and printmaking. Betty Blayton Taylor (July 10, 1937 – October 2, 2016) As an activist, Betty Blayton worked to advance the careers of black artists in Harlem. One of the many programs she built was the Children’s Art Carnival …
Keith Pfeiffer is new to the Seattle Artist League. He comes from an illustration background, and is venturing to make his living as a fine artist. I met Pfeiffer when he joined the Effects of Light (Thursday) class, and I’ve seen him whip out a series of effective thumbnail studies faster than I can say …
[image_with_animation image_url=”7736″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Piet Mondrian The first part of this challenge was to draw a tree from observation. The second was to draw the same tree, editing to emphasize the patterns within the branches. Today, draw the same tree again, editing even more. Look at the spaces between the branches, remove the …
Alla Prima Sketch in Oil by Shane Wolf Before I begin, I assemble my brushes. For an alla prima sketch of this size (canvas size approximately 20×15) these are the brushes I’ll likely use. You’ll notice mostly flats. For the male figure I use mostly flats; I like the planal, sculptural strokes they provide. For female figures I’ll …
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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Betty Blayton Taylor
This is the first of four V. Notes highlighting black artists with professional careers in both painting and printmaking. Betty Blayton Taylor (July 10, 1937 – October 2, 2016) As an activist, Betty Blayton worked to advance the careers of black artists in Harlem. One of the many programs she built was the Children’s Art Carnival …
Keith Pfeiffer: Digital Paintings
Keith Pfeiffer is new to the Seattle Artist League. He comes from an illustration background, and is venturing to make his living as a fine artist. I met Pfeiffer when he joined the Effects of Light (Thursday) class, and I’ve seen him whip out a series of effective thumbnail studies faster than I can say …
SAL Challenge Day 19: Evolution of a Tree, Part 3 of 3
[image_with_animation image_url=”7736″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Piet Mondrian The first part of this challenge was to draw a tree from observation. The second was to draw the same tree, editing to emphasize the patterns within the branches. Today, draw the same tree again, editing even more. Look at the spaces between the branches, remove the …
Figure Painting Demo by Shane Wolf
Alla Prima Sketch in Oil by Shane Wolf Before I begin, I assemble my brushes. For an alla prima sketch of this size (canvas size approximately 20×15) these are the brushes I’ll likely use. You’ll notice mostly flats. For the male figure I use mostly flats; I like the planal, sculptural strokes they provide. For female figures I’ll …