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42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Other Side of Egon Schiele: Sensual Landscapes, April 14, 2005
Egon Schiele lived for only a brief period of time and yet in that lifetime he, more than any other artist of the fin de siecle, made visual the probings of the human psyche as explored by Sigmund Freud. His inumerable portraits of young nude girls, his insistence on the viability of human sensual responses, and his lack of temerity in producing many self-portraits nude and aroused made him a sensation in his time and now has placed him in the echelon of the most collectable artists from the last century. But equally important to both Schiele and to the public who knew little of his full output are his avante garde landscapes. This book, well written by Rudolf Leopold, serves to bring appreciation to these magnificent landscapes. Leopold has the graciousness to include photographs of the areas in and around where Schiele lived, views which Schiele painted repeatedly but never with the same vantage or color effects. Whether the views are vast horizons made puzzle-like with his drawing/painting technique, flowers flattened in perspective to emphasize design, or photo-like fragments of streets and houses, they are all equally successful in proving that Schiele was a fine draughtsman and inventive colorist. This book is large in format that serves to lay the framework for the excellent color reproductions. Some art books are ones that, once read, are relegated to the coffee table. EGON SCHIELE: LANDSCAPES is a beautiful volume that begs for repeated readings and viewings. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, April 05
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An absolute treasure, January 11, 2007
Of all the Schiele monographs I own, this is my favourite one. I love Schiele's drawings and watercolors, I can get lost in them, mesmerized by a single casual line that defines a thigh or an arm; I love his portraits, his oils... but most of all I love his townscapes and landscapes, so this book as an absolute treasure. Great quality reproductions, wonderful b/w photographs of places/towns/buildings he painted (taken from the same perspective as they appear in his paintings). Highly recommended.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE Schiele Landscape book to own, February 18, 2008
The credit for the first notion of publishing a book strictly devoted to Schiele's landscapes (and cityscapes) deservedly goes to Kimberly A. Smith/Yale University Press. One might say that it was a bit sneaky of Rudolf Leopold & the Leopold Museum, after having been interviewed and providing reproductions for said effort to in the same year mount this comprehensive exhibition and publish this sumptuous catalogue. I'm not saying that, because the reproductions are better and the text doesn't suffer from the pompousnous of Deconstructionism. This is a gorgeous book. As well, some of the paintings are paired with period photos/postcards of the actual scenes Schiele painted. Leopold vastly expounded upon this conceit by researching and seeking out with camera a large number of photographs of Schiele's motifs. It's hugely interesting to see how little certain corners of Austria have changed in nearly a hundred years. Of particularly poignant, and instructive, note, is the volume's side-by-side reproduction of Schiele's "Autumn Trees I" of 1911, held in a private collection. The original, as widely reproduced--indeed in the Smith/Yale book, albeit poorly--has been ruined by a "restorer" who decided that the pink striations in the sky had been added by a later hand. If you're interested in Schiele's landscapes, buy this book. Buy this book and turn to pages 84-5 and weep with me.
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