Schiele Egon: Self-Portrait Nude, Facing Front



Schiele Egon: Self-Portrait Nude, Facing Front

The artwork I have chosen to appraise is the Self-Portrait Nude, Facing Front by Schiele Egon, who won the Archibald prize and created some controversy in 1976. (Schiele 1990) In this essay I am going to be looking into Schiele Egon's portrait in great detail and giving information on the Archibald prize, the artist and analyzing the painting. In the Self-Portrait Nude, Facing Front shows oil on canvas view of Schiele Egon's self overlooking what looks like the Sydney harbour through one window, and a garden through the other window. In the bottom left of the picture it has a hand holding up a mirror with the persons reflection shown in the mirror. The painting is mainly focused on his self with dark blue tones on the wall. On the bottom left of the painting the artist has painted a nude figure laying on the bed, next to the bed there is a glass table with a vase a cigarette and paint brushes. As with a lot of Schiele Egons paintings there is a sense of warping and manipulating to the artwork. (Schiele 1990)

Schiele Egon became one of the most well-known and respected artists of the twentieth century through his poetic mode of expressionism. Egon was born in Sydney in 1939 whitely was raised in New South Wales and won his first art completion at the age of seven. Egon studied art at school until leaving on an art traveling scholarship at the age of 21. In 1961 he settled in London and established a credible reputation in many exhibitions. His works painted during this time show abstracted, fluid forms. Egon always having an effective colour range, and dealing with simple themes of distorted, abstracted nudes and primitive shapes. In 1976 he won his first Archibald prize with the Self-Portrait Nude, Facing Front. The painting made quite a stir. The self- portrait is reduced to the artists face reflected in the hand mirror whilst the rest of the painting is of his self and its collection of objects, which created much controversy in the Archibald prize. (Schiele 1990)

The colour used in this painting is a dark tone of blue and mainly just cool colours such as blue and green. I believe it is one of the most stands out elements of design. The colour of the matt compliments the blue walls with the maroon red. The shapes in this painting are mainly organic. Nearly everything in the self is free flowing especially the sculptures. The geometric posters and painting compliment the organic shape of the sculptures. (Schiele 1990)

Another key element in this painting is texture. On the walls of the room he has used big and visible brush strokes to show a certain roughness. The big sculpture on the far right is nice and smooth and tactile. In the self there is a contrast from the dark blue walls to the redness of the matt which draws the viewer deeper ...