Cardinal and Nun by Egon Schiele - 1912 - 70 × 80,5 cm Leopold Museum Cardinal and Nun by Egon Schiele - 1912 - 70 × 80,5 cm Leopold Museum

Cardinal and Nun

oil on canvas • 70 × 80,5 cm
  • Egon Schiele - 12 June 1890 - 31 October 1918 Egon Schiele 1912

Schiele was a student of Gustav Klimt and his scandalous painting named Cardinal and Nun is a distorting mirror reflection of his master’s famous piece - The Kiss. In Klimt's painting, man and woman are in harmony, but in Schiele's painting everything seems violent - from the Cardinal's move towards the Nun to her scared face and her hands pushing the Cardinal away. This painting may be the distorted mirror reflection of The Kiss, but it is definitely a perfect mirror reflection of Egon Schiele's edgy lifestyle which was filled with many scandals.