Art Out of
the Prison Cell
May 1912
“To hinder an artist is a crime, it is
murdering a life!”
“I will hold out for my art and my loved ones,” said Egon Schiele who is
currently incarcerated in St. Pölten. The artist was born on July 12, 1890
in Tulln. After being rejected from the Vienna school of applied arts he
began to study art at the Vienna Academy for Graphic Arts. In 1907 he moved
into his own studio in the same year that he met Gustav Klimt. Initially he
seemed dependent on Klimt. Yet by 1909 he joined up with other artists to
form
the New Art Group.His main interest lies in painting portraits. He has
painted numerous self-portraits but also
images of women and girls. He moved to Neulengbach in 1911 with the model
Wally Neuzil. There he was arrested on the 13th of April 1912 for
supposedly attempting to seduce a minor. After 24 days in detention, he is
now in the prison of St. Pölten. This watercolor comes from the time of his
detention.
E. Schiele, Death and Girl
The Viennese Workshop
("Wiener Werkstätte") - an Unattainable Achievement in Arts and Crafts
May 13, 1904
At the beginning of this year, the artists Josef Hoffman, Koloman
Moser, and the banker Fritz Waerndorfer established the Viennese Workshop. The Viennese Workshops should help Vienna in making an
international name for itself through exquisite example-setting work. It is
a cooperation of artist craftsmen in Vienna. Together, they’re working
against mass production and thoughtless imitations through their first-class skilled-labor. “Our
strength should come from processing the material perfectly,” stated the two founders,
Hoffmann and Moser, in their brochure. No object is too
insignificant for the Viennese workshops not to be formed and beautified by
an artist or craftsman. So they sketch and produce different furniture,
dishes, cutlery, jewelry, enamel dishes, ceramics, glass, books,
and wallpaper. Also belonging to the program are artistic postcards and
fashion in all shapes and sizes.
Metal basket Cutlery