This small-scale panel painting is arguably one the most enigmatic and yet most expressive and most deeply moving works by Egon Schiele (1890–1918), who was only 20 years old at the time of its creation. According to Arthur Roessler (1877–1955), Schiele painted the work on Christmas Day 1910 within only a few hours. A few months later, the artist himself called this first version of
Dead Mother one of his “best pictures”. A cocoon of broad brushstrokes encloses the unborn child, whose head, viewed from below, and left hand, raised in what looks like a gesture of blessing, form the brightly glowing center of the composition. Resuming the movement of the circling brushstrokes, the head and hand of the mother, who gives the work its title, represent a stark contrast: Rendered in cool, dark shades with sunken features and refracting eyes, she seems to be saying goodbye; the supposedly protective gesture of the emaciated hand adds to the impression of dying. Will her demise seal the fate of the unborn child or will its bonds be broken by her death? The painting allows for both interpretations. In
Dead Mother I, Schiele articulates a remarkable juxtaposition of sexuality and death, employing the mother-and-child theme which will continue to accompany him over the following years, for instance in
Mother and Child, 1912,
Blind Mother, 1914, or
Mother with Two Children II, 1915.
VG, 2022
