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
Here’s an idea for something to draw: throw your jacket on a chair. Now you have a still life, a portrait, and a landscape. *Quoted from Charity Baker’s “Museum Crawl” class featuring Cezanne’s show of drawings in NY
Recently I posted about Edward Hopper’s influences in painting and printmaking. This is part three of four (I think). Today is all about Hopper’s process. There is some of my own actual near-thinking and observation, plus a lot of internet research went into this, but I had trouble finding much for details that went beyond …
Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket James Abbot McNeill Whistler c. 1875 I’ve long admired Whistler’s Nocturnes for their spare elegance, and subtle nods to Hiroshige’s woodblock prints. What I didn’t know is that it bankrupted poor Whistler, and was the subject of lawsuit controversy as unfortunate as modern daytime television. All that, and it was …
The Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards encourage artists to develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The competition celebrates outstanding and innovative work in drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media. In this first year, we received 232 submissions from 151 artists. Throughout our selection process, the jury focused on choosing interesting work that engaged the artistic medium to convey the essence of a specific person, or …
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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Jacket on a Chair
Here’s an idea for something to draw: throw your jacket on a chair. Now you have a still life, a portrait, and a landscape. *Quoted from Charity Baker’s “Museum Crawl” class featuring Cezanne’s show of drawings in NY
Edward Hopper’s Process
Recently I posted about Edward Hopper’s influences in painting and printmaking. This is part three of four (I think). Today is all about Hopper’s process. There is some of my own actual near-thinking and observation, plus a lot of internet research went into this, but I had trouble finding much for details that went beyond …
Whistler v. Ruskin: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket James Abbot McNeill Whistler c. 1875 I’ve long admired Whistler’s Nocturnes for their spare elegance, and subtle nods to Hiroshige’s woodblock prints. What I didn’t know is that it bankrupted poor Whistler, and was the subject of lawsuit controversy as unfortunate as modern daytime television. All that, and it was …
The Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards 2021
The Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards encourage artists to develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The competition celebrates outstanding and innovative work in drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media. In this first year, we received 232 submissions from 151 artists. Throughout our selection process, the jury focused on choosing interesting work that engaged the artistic medium to convey the essence of a specific person, or …