Stehender männlicher Akt mit erhobenen Armen (Selbstbildnis) (recto); Baumstudie (verso)

Belle Époque Vienna was one of Europe’s most splendid capitals, characterised by a flurry of advances and revolutions in science, technology and art. With particularly far reaching impact were Sigmund Freud’s lectures and writings on psychoanalysis, which ignited a new field of academic study concerning the psyche and sparked the imagination and curiosity of Vienna’s citizens. The city’s coffeehouses were awash with excited conversations about these new ideas and theories, such as that of the unconscious and the id-ego-super-ego. Above all, was the question: what determines one’s identity? This question had previously belonged solely to the realm of philosophy, but now appeared to be decided by more scientific factors. The zeitgeist’s interrogation of the self also extended its reach to the era’s art. Expressionism had already pushed artists to turn inwards, but in Austria, it now fused with psychoanalysis to produce the uniquely Viennese strand of the movement, and a new generation of artists like Egon Schiele grappled with themes of self-exploration in their art.

1910, the year before the execution of Stehender männlicher Akt mit erhobenen Armen (Selbstbildnis), had been a turning point for Schiele’s artistic practice. He began to differentiate himself visually from the Secessionist movement and his mentor, Gustav Klimt, by rejecting the horror vacui of these styles and instead, inspired by Japanese prints, isolating figures against stark, empty backgrounds. He further distanced himself from these influences through his newfound emphasis on self-portraiture. Although these were not new within the context of Schiele’s oeuvre, they now were the subject of intense focus, and would remain so until his untimely demise seven years later. These works are often considered his most avantgarde, as he could push the limits of his art in a way that was not possible for a commissioned portrait.

Schiele’s quest for self-determination was a very real, personal concern for the young artist who was trying to carve out a place for his art in the cultural landscape of the time. Fittingly, these were themes explored in one of the artist’s favourite books from this period, Rainer Maria Rilke’s Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge (The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge). The story weaves together themes concerning the quest for personal identity as it follows the everyday life of protagonist Malte, a Danishman in the foreign metropolis of Paris. Throughout the novel, Malte experiments with different guises through various outfits and postures, and is constantly examining his reflection in mirrors. Similarly, throughout 1910 and 1911, Schiele created an array of self-portraits in various media which cast the artist in different roles as he explores the different facets of his personality: ‘Schiele the effeminate, the elegant, the dandy; Schiele the fearful, the anguished, the uncertain; Schiele the stoic, the angry; Schiele beautiful and Schiele hideous’ (J. Kallir, Egon Schiele, Life and Work, New York, 2003, p. 63). The hands and face, traditional signifiers of status and identity in portraiture, signal these different characters he tries on. The result is powerful works on paper like Selbstbidlnis (1911) and Stehender männlicher Akt mit erhobenen Armen (Selbstbildnis) but also important oil paintings such as Lyriker (1911).

Stehender männlicher Akt mit erhobenen Armen (Selbstbildnis) belongs to this body of work, where Schiele probes these various states like a psychoanalyst examining the various facets of a patient’s psyche. It is particularly notable for the uncommon sense of vulnerability he displays in this work, through his contorted pose which further exposes his already nude body; his arms twist behind his head, denying him the ability to conceal or defend himself. Schiele’s masterful draughtsmanship render his eyes round and soft, imbuing his expression with a mellow sensitivity. Although often portrayed as the brash and confident enfant terrible of Viennese art, the vulnerability expressed in works such as Stehender männlicher Akt mit erhobenen Armen (Selbstbildnis) reveal the introspective journey experienced by Schiele during this period. His writings betray a sense of isolation from the artistic establishment and society, who did not fully understand or appreciate his art: ‘I had countless obstacles to surmount, like no other perhaps, that takes it out of you. […] Of my colleagues, all were enemies; I began to hate Vienna, wanted to remain alone in Krumau’ (Egon Schiele, quoted T.G. Natter, Egon Schiele, The Paintings, Cologne, 2023, p. 99).

These musings reach an apex in masterpieces like Selbstseher II (Tod un Mann) (Self-Seers II (Death and Man)) (1911), a painting depicting a state of psychological crisis, as the individual’s sense of self is so fragmented that there is no longer a whole, but is now split into various irreconcilable fragments. In this light, Stehender männlicher Akt mit erhobenen Armen (Selbstbildnis) can be seen not only as a vital part of Schiele’s search for his personal and artistic identity, but also, like Malte, peering into every mirror he passes.