Egon Schiele

Schiele used angular bodies, exposed poses, and tense hands to make the body feel psychologically charged. His self-portraits from the 1910s are central examples of Austrian Expressionism.

Schiele met Gustav Klimt as a young artist, and Klimt became an important supporter. Schiele's early decorative line shows Klimt's influence, but Schiele quickly pushed toward a harsher, more anxious style.

Schiele was arrested in 1912 after accusations involving drawings of young models and a minor who had stayed with him and Wally Neuzil. He spent a short period in jail, and the case became a notorious part of his biography.

Schiele died in Vienna in 1918 during the influenza pandemic, only days after his pregnant wife Edith. He was 28 years old.