You cannot judge a book by its cover, but should you happen to pick up this book, then you are sure to be intrigued by both the title and the cover which bears a picture of a woman in black stockings lying in an erotic pose.
Based on the short life of Egon Schiele, Mr Crofts captures the drama of an artist who was strongly criticised and rejected by the art world. Love him or loathe him, one cannot doubt the greatness of Schiele and Mr Crofts's first novel provides us with a satisfying, psychologically convincing account of the genius protégé of Gustav Klimt.
Egon Schiele was famed for his sexually-explicit portraits of Viennese life. In these paintings, the creaturely aspect of the human form is worked out to the full while the existentialism is reminiscent of late-Gothic images of mercy. Such explicit compositions led to accusations of pornography. Undoubtedly, Schiele was a decadent artist whose work triggered hostilities from many quarters, yet he had his supporters. Together with Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka, he formed the driving force behind painting in the Viennese art nouveau movement.
Mr Crofts's figurative language makes The Pornographer of Vienna an entertaining novel. By combining fact with his own literary creativity, Mr Crofts paints pictures of a daring young man in a conservative society. Although the historical detail is pretty accurate, Mr Crofts's literary imagination enables him to bring the story of Egon Schiele to life. Mr Crofts shows an extensive study into the subject's life while providing a convincing insight into the lives of artists during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The morals of Austro-Hungarian society are well-described as well as the artistic stagnation of Vienna.
This thoroughly researched work is highly enjoyable and will be an eye-opener even to those who know the subject well. Mr Crofts skilfully depicts the tension between the characters as the rebellious Schiele finds himself at odds with society and is even imprisoned by the Hapsburg authorities. Sure enough, the imprisonment played a pivotal role in the artist's personal development and Mr Crofts illustrates how Schiele developed a distinctive personal style and how he attained his mastery of line, colour, human form and human expression while seeking answers to questions about life, death, love and suffering.
The Pornographer of Vienna is an absorbing text as it describes the complex culture of art and artists in Vienna. True, one is inclined to wonder whether Mr Crofts presents Schiele as a victim of the defunct Hapsburg system. Nevertheless, a century ago, Austria did have a general ignorance of Schiele's contribution to modern art. It was a state without ambition, which hoped to preserve itself by opposing all radical changes. It is easy to imagine that Schiele was perceived as a pervert in the highly conservative provinces of Hapsburg Austria. The average turn-of-the-century Austrian could not distinguish between erotic art and pornography and Schiele's paintings of women in the nude certainly made him controversial.
Labelled as Vienna's exiled son, today Schiele remains one of the least understood artists of the century. Schiele's stark colours and fiercely-drawn lines continue to provoke people. The dual traits of repulsion and attraction characterise reactions to his works because of his desire to destroy the conservative façade of moral righteousness and expose the inner truth. The personal and the universal co-existed in his allegories and landscapes. Although he died young he produced a body of paintings, watercolours and drawings that rank him among the most original artists of the 20th century.
Anyone investigating the life and works of Egon Schiele would find The Pornographer of Vienna an extremely useful read for it is informative and gripping. In Mr Crofts's novel, we watch Schiele literally grow up, almost day by day. The author allows us to see how Schiele learnt to know mankind in all its colours and classes and how he gained a compassionate, emphatic understanding of his subjects. We observe how he painted people from all backgrounds and of all shapes and sizes. We see him paint the heroine and the femme fatale, the goddess and the prostitute.
The distinctly personal stamp of Schiele's art has caused many to associate it with his life. Sure enough, Schiele did have the technical virtuosity to express his youthful experiences as they were happening and like other Expressionist artists, Scheile did use his own experiences as the basis for his art. Moreover, if the art did not seem to mirror the life of the artist who created it, then his biography would not be subjected to such close scrutiny. Nonetheless, one must bear in mind that Mr Crofts's biography of Egon Schiele is not the story of his art but rather the story of how he came to create that art.
• Ms Montanaro is a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. She is researching for a PhD on Psychoanalysis and British Surrealism.
• A review copy of this title was supplied by the author.
Based on the short life of Egon Schiele, Mr Crofts captures the drama of an artist who was strongly criticised and rejected by the art world. Love him or loathe him, one cannot doubt the greatness of Schiele and Mr Crofts's first novel provides us with a satisfying, psychologically convincing account of the genius protégé of Gustav Klimt.
Egon Schiele was famed for his sexually-explicit portraits of Viennese life. In these paintings, the creaturely aspect of the human form is worked out to the full while the existentialism is reminiscent of late-Gothic images of mercy. Such explicit compositions led to accusations of pornography. Undoubtedly, Schiele was a decadent artist whose work triggered hostilities from many quarters, yet he had his supporters. Together with Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka, he formed the driving force behind painting in the Viennese art nouveau movement.
Mr Crofts's figurative language makes The Pornographer of Vienna an entertaining novel. By combining fact with his own literary creativity, Mr Crofts paints pictures of a daring young man in a conservative society. Although the historical detail is pretty accurate, Mr Crofts's literary imagination enables him to bring the story of Egon Schiele to life. Mr Crofts shows an extensive study into the subject's life while providing a convincing insight into the lives of artists during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The morals of Austro-Hungarian society are well-described as well as the artistic stagnation of Vienna.
This thoroughly researched work is highly enjoyable and will be an eye-opener even to those who know the subject well. Mr Crofts skilfully depicts the tension between the characters as the rebellious Schiele finds himself at odds with society and is even imprisoned by the Hapsburg authorities. Sure enough, the imprisonment played a pivotal role in the artist's personal development and Mr Crofts illustrates how Schiele developed a distinctive personal style and how he attained his mastery of line, colour, human form and human expression while seeking answers to questions about life, death, love and suffering.
The Pornographer of Vienna is an absorbing text as it describes the complex culture of art and artists in Vienna. True, one is inclined to wonder whether Mr Crofts presents Schiele as a victim of the defunct Hapsburg system. Nevertheless, a century ago, Austria did have a general ignorance of Schiele's contribution to modern art. It was a state without ambition, which hoped to preserve itself by opposing all radical changes. It is easy to imagine that Schiele was perceived as a pervert in the highly conservative provinces of Hapsburg Austria. The average turn-of-the-century Austrian could not distinguish between erotic art and pornography and Schiele's paintings of women in the nude certainly made him controversial.
Labelled as Vienna's exiled son, today Schiele remains one of the least understood artists of the century. Schiele's stark colours and fiercely-drawn lines continue to provoke people. The dual traits of repulsion and attraction characterise reactions to his works because of his desire to destroy the conservative façade of moral righteousness and expose the inner truth. The personal and the universal co-existed in his allegories and landscapes. Although he died young he produced a body of paintings, watercolours and drawings that rank him among the most original artists of the 20th century.
Anyone investigating the life and works of Egon Schiele would find The Pornographer of Vienna an extremely useful read for it is informative and gripping. In Mr Crofts's novel, we watch Schiele literally grow up, almost day by day. The author allows us to see how Schiele learnt to know mankind in all its colours and classes and how he gained a compassionate, emphatic understanding of his subjects. We observe how he painted people from all backgrounds and of all shapes and sizes. We see him paint the heroine and the femme fatale, the goddess and the prostitute.
The distinctly personal stamp of Schiele's art has caused many to associate it with his life. Sure enough, Schiele did have the technical virtuosity to express his youthful experiences as they were happening and like other Expressionist artists, Scheile did use his own experiences as the basis for his art. Moreover, if the art did not seem to mirror the life of the artist who created it, then his biography would not be subjected to such close scrutiny. Nonetheless, one must bear in mind that Mr Crofts's biography of Egon Schiele is not the story of his art but rather the story of how he came to create that art.
• Ms Montanaro is a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. She is researching for a PhD on Psychoanalysis and British Surrealism.
• A review copy of this title was supplied by the author.