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Rating: 
Summary: 494 pages of slick paper, small print, outstanding pictures
Review: Drawings can be interesting when they are just bits and pieces, and the rest of the picture is left to the imagination, as colored crayon and charcoal on a rough tan piece of paper (40.2 x 29.7 cm. Kallir D. 344) shows mainly a face and hand appearing on the left side of page 62 far above striped trousers in `Man with headband and Hand on Cheek (Self-Portrait) 1909.' A tiny patch of blue marks the edge of the sleeve just below the hand, and another tiny patch of blue is at the end of the outline of the other sleeve, just in front of the trousers, but the lines between the patches are faint, don't intersect, and imply that his stomach was flat as a board.
Some interesting paper that is slightly more yellow and larger isn't big enough to show the top of his hair, his left hand, or anything below his hips in `Self-Portrait with Arm Twisting Above Head 1910' on pages 4 and 111. One of my favorite Egon Schiele paintings, `Self-Portrait with Hand to Cheek 1910' is shown on page 115. He is pulling his cheek down so hard on one side that his other ear sticks out. Another favorite is `Schiele, Drawing a Nude Model Before a Mirror 1910' on page 135 which clearly shows the model's eyes watching herself in the mirror, while the artist's eyes, looking at himself, are so dark it seems like he can see you. For a drawing done with a pencil, it establishes a perspective that shows great depth, even if one of the model's arms is missing where it approaches the edge of the paper or failed to line up with the rest of the picture.
The picture on the cover is similar to many in the book; a few extra lines and colors don't stay within the outline. `The Artist's Sister-in-Law in Striped Dress, Seated 1917' on page 402 shows stripes over her shoulders and running out from her hips, but the area around her hands is mainly blank. The color of the paper works well for her chin and neck, and the darker paper on page 403, on which she is `Covering Mouth with Hands 1917' is a nice comparison, in which Schiele had a different angle to attempt to capture the chaos in her hair.
The author of this book knows a lot about the art and life of Egon Schiele and the artists that he associated with. The chronological order of the pictures does emphasize the sequence, but almost everything falls in the years 1907 to 1918, and his subjects didn't vary much. `The Truth Unveiled 1913' on page 265 could be called a portrait of the artist contemplating his hands, or you didn't expect me to name this for the woman hiding behind me, did you? I might like these paintings more than I should because I appreciate certain events in the life of the artist, who was so frail that he did not get sent to basic training and guard duty for the great war until June 27, 1915 (p. 326). When he had sick leave in Vienna, he painted a portrait of his wife (p. 327). He changed. `As documented in his work from 1914-15, the transition between these two worlds had been extraordinarily painful for the artist. . . . Like all young boys, he had to grow up.' (p. 328).
Rating:
Summary: How did they do it?
Review: Flipping through the Kallir/Vartanian book on Schiele's drawings and watercolors is a guaranteed way to make several hours of your life disappear without you even noticing it. The reproductions, presented in chronological order from 1907 through 1918, are a joy to ponder and get lost in. Schiele scholars and fans have been given a lavish gift. The biggest mystery is how the publisher, Thames & Hudson of London, could produce this marvel-like book for a such a miniscule cover price--it has the look and feel of a hundred-dollar book. This is publishing at its absolute finest.
Rating:
Summary: great value
Review: I've bought several books on Schiele's work over the years but this is, by
far, the best book I've seen so far on the artist's drawings and
watercolors. Plus, it's a great value! It's double the page count of any
other book and has more than double the reproductions of any other book. But
it is the same price (or cheaper) than a lot of other Schiele books out
there. The reproductions are fantastic and the text is really great. A great
buy for all art lovers.
Rating:
Summary: Egon Shiele: the book to own if you only want one
Review: Jane Kallir (also the author of Egon Schiele's 'catalogue raisonne' -- usually a HUGE expensive book which includes a picture of every known available representation of an artist's work) says 'Since completing the catalogue raisonne, I have always yearned to combine the story of Schiele's life and his artistic development into a single book'. And wow, what a beautiful job she has done.
This book begins with some of the earliest pictures of Egon's art (when he was about 16 and drawing trains) and ends with a picture of his wife (12 years later -- drawn not long before both she and Schiele died during the flu epidemic which swept the globe following World War I).
What makes this book extraordinary is the showcase of over 300 excellent color reproductions of Schiele's art shown in chronological order and Kallir's insightful commentary on the 'nuances of Schiele's stylistic development during each 12 month period'.
To paraphrase the author (again), this is Schiele's unique 'coming of age' story -- 'in these works, we watch Schiele literally grow up, almost day by day -- an artist with the technical virtuosity to express those experiences as they were happening'.
And to sum up, I borrowed this book from the library and found the book so awesome that I ordered my own copy from amazon.com before I finished reading it -- and now that I have finished reading the book, I'm taking the time to say, this is the most unique (and moving) art book (I'm guessing I've read 200) I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: another artist who died too young
Review: Schiele is a wonderful artist, and it's a pity that he died so young in his twenties. He got thrown in prison for drawing pictures of girls who were "too young" and I have no interest in his self-portraits where he's holding his tallywhacker. But his drawings of women are very interesting, sometimes enticing. David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"
Rating:
Summary: another artist who died too young
Review: Schiele is a wonderful artist, and it's a pity that he died so young in his twenties. He got thrown in prison for drawing pictures of girls who were "too young" and I have no interest in his self-portraits where he's holding his tallywhacker. But his drawings of women are very interesting, sometimes enticing. David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Essential for Schiele fans
Review: The price is amazing, considering the amount of images and written material. More than just the usual "greatest hits" compendium, this one book covers Schiele's output with chapters devoted to specific years of his life. The images take up full pages - rather than being small, irritating reproductions - so you can actually SEE the drawings and paintings. These are the best reproductions of his work - yes, I've seen some of the originals - in the largest number (save for Kallir's catalogue raisonne) and with an enormous amount of biographical information. This book thrilled me. Go. Buy. Now!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Essential for Schiele fans
Review: The price is amazing, considering the amount of images and written material. More than just the usual "greatest hits" compendium, this one book covers Schiele's output with chapters devoted to specific years of his life. The images take up full pages - rather than being small, irritating reproductions - so you can actually SEE the drawings and paintings. These are the best reproductions of his work - yes, I've seen some of the originals - in the largest number (save for Kallir's catalogue raisonne) and with an enormous amount of biographical information. This book thrilled me. Go. Buy. Now!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Essential for Schiele fans
Review: The price is amazing, considering the amount of images and written material. More than just the usual "greatest hits" compendium, this one book covers Schiele's output with chapters devoted to specific years of his life. The images take up full pages - rather than being small, irritating reproductions - so you can actually SEE the drawings and paintings. These are the best reproductions of his work - yes, I've seen some of the originals - in the largest number (save for Kallir's catalogue raisonne) and with an enormous amount of biographical information. This book thrilled me. Go. Buy. Now!
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