Wally Neuzil

There is no secret that I love Egon Schiele!  :)  We are happy to present to you one of his most famous works.  

Wally Neuzil, Schiele's partner, gazing out of the painting with wide-open, outsized eyes, was of enormous importance to the young Schiele. The portrait, with its balanced composition, is a counterpart to the Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Fruit, which the artist created around the same time. This harmoniously composed likeness shows Wally with her slightly lowered head, auburn hair, and oversized, bright blue eyes looking directly at the viewer. Particularly impressive are Schiele’s use of geometric shapes and the harmony of colors: orange and blue, white and black, and red and green. The portrait exudes intimacy and tenderness, thus revealing the lovers’ closeness.

When Schiele was taken into investigative custody in April 1912, she brought him painting supplies and an orange which, as Schiele noted in his diary, represented his “sole light” during these dark days. The main charge which he faced—the abduction of a minor—proved groundless, but the court proceeded to convict him of the “distribution of indecent drawings.” Schiele was to spend a total of 24 days in prison, during which he painted several sketches.

We present today's work thanks to the Leopold Museum in Vienna, the house of the largest Schiele collection in the world. 

P.S. Here's a story of Schiele's wife, Edith, who ended the relationship between Egon and Wally... 

P.P.S. If you're up for more Schiele, his work is featured in our paper Desk Calendar for 2022, check it out here!  :)