The Lyricist
- Original dimensions
- 800 x 805 cm
- Museum
- Leopold Museum
- Year
- 1911
Scene depicted
The painting “The Speaker” reveals a vibrant scene where the artist captures an animated conversation, flowing like a melody through the movement of bodies. The figures intertwine in a fleeting dance, revealing raw emotions on the canvas. Each brushstroke evokes the passion of a dialogue, materializing words into an ethereal composition.
Historical context
Created in 1911 in Vienna, an iconic city in Austria and center of the expressionist movement, The Speaker is a painting that captures the essence of a time of artistic rebellion. This canvas is now preserved at the Leopold Museum , a prominent place in the collection of works by Egon Schiele . The imposing dimensions of the painting make it a striking pictorial work, both in its composition and its emotional message.
Place in the artist's career
“The Speaker” marks a turning point in Schiele's career, echoing his bold style and exploration of the intimate. By placing it on the same level as works such as Self-Portrait with Crossed Arms and The Dance , one can observe a progression towards emotional intensity and an increasingly refined mastery of painting .
Anecdote
“Art is a resistance against the ordinary,” Schiele might have said when discussing the genesis of his masterpiece . Inspired by a soft light that bathed the alleys of Vienna, this painting is the result of a moment of introspection, a call to transcend the conventions of his time and to free the imprisoned feelings.