Egon's Kiss

Cardinal and Nun (Caress) (1912)

by Egon Schiele
Leopold Museum, Vienna

Gustav Klimt was a well renowned “Art Nouveau” artist working in Germany during the early 1900’s.  Upon seeing the work of Gustav Klimt from an exhibition in 1907, Schiele started to mimic the artists’ style and techniques. The relationship between the two artists however, has been overly romanticized from multiple biographies, and mixed sources. Schiele studied Klimt’s work and produced many works of art mimicking the artist until a style of his own was established. One of the conflicting techniques that Schiele uses, that differs from Klimt, from his portraiture work is the absence of an ornate background. Instead, the figure is forced to front of the picture plane, void from any background information and left vulnerable. The piece Cardinal and Nun and clearly a take on Klimt’s Kiss. Many differences can be noticed within Schiele’s Cardinal and Nun. Just as mentioned earlier, the ornate background was exchanged for a solid black hue lacking of any formal information. An obvious difference between the two is the expression on the nun’s face compared to the woman portrayed in Kiss. In Schiele’s work, the woman is not accepting of the embrace, and has a look of fear or horror. Unlike Klimt’s Kiss, the embrace itself is portrayed as unwanted as well. Hands from both figures are now awkwardly placed on one another. While the sexual tension of Schiele’s work is generally more forward and literally centered on the canvas, Cardinal and Nun seems to come off as a calmer, yet darker, sense of sexual exploration.   

Photo & Information Credit

Kallir, Jane. Egon Scheile – Drawings and Watercolors. New York: Thames & Hudson Inc., 2003.

Egon Schiele, Cardinal and Nun (Caress)” Masterpieces of the Collection The Leopold Collection Leopold Museum <http://www.leopoldmuseum.org/en/leopoldcollection/masterpieces/34 > (April 28, 2016)