Royal Academy: Klimt / Schiele: Drawings from the Albertina Museum, Vienna

The exhibition marked the centenary of both artists’ deaths, and was a collaboration between the RA and the Albertina Museum, and in advance of the exhibition I attended a lecture by the curator of the exhibition Sarah Lea, ‘Curator's introduction: Klimt / Schiele’, in which Lea gave an insight into the quite controversial lives and artistic processes of these two revolutionary and provocative Austrian artists, pioneers of the modernist movement.

Lea explained how Schiele was inspired by the art of his friend and 20 years-senior Klimt, something I certainly wasn’t aware of given that the most famous works of the two are so different. However having seen the exhibition I can clearly see how Schiele’s earlier drawing were very much inspired by the drawings of Klimt. I can see for instance the resemblance between two specific drawings, the expressive strong lines, the thin elongated figures, and the loose depiction of the hair.

Schiele’s ‘Reclining Female nude’, 1908

And Klimt’s ‘Study for the Three Gorgons, ‘Beethoven Frieze’, 1901

My favourite Klimt drawing in the exhibition was Lady with Cape and Hat, 1897-1898, black and red chalk on paper - a very atmospheric chiaroscuro work. There is sadness and apprehension in the eyes of the lady which makes it very mysterious and intriguing.

My favourite of Schiele drawing was the famous Nude Self-portrait, 1916, pencil and gouache on packing paper, a very interesting, dramatic and quite disturbing drawing. Schiele depicts his skinny body dramatically twisted and he looks very unhealthy. He is looking challengingly straight to the viewer, which attracts the viewer to reluctantly look at it.