Reproduction of Egon Schiele’s painting „Jesuiten" [Jesuits], 1911

The whereabouts of the 1911 painting Jesuits (Two Standing Figures in Monk-Like Habits) are unknown. In Schiele’s extant correspondence, however, the work is mentioned several times, while we also know that it was exhibited twice. Fortunately, Egon Schiele (1890–1918) had the painting photographed by a photographer called Josef Franz Schaschek, giving us an impression today of what the work looked like. The main motif is made up of two upright figures clad in wide cowls. Their heads almost touch the upper edge of the depiction, while their habits fill up the square format almost completely. In terms of colors, the work may have resembled the painting Procession, which was created the same year. Seeing as the figures’ monk-like clothing does not actually look like the habits worn by Jesuits, the correctness of the title is confirmed only by a statement made by Schiele’s patron Arthur Roessler (1877–1955) to Rudolf Leopold (1925–2010).

MA, 2023