no. 3 : The Narrative of 'Death and the Maiden'

Death and the Maiden, Egon Schiele 1914-1915

A narrative is the telling of a story. The way it is presented. The story stays the same but the narrative can change. It is the technique. Narrative is often only thought of in literature but narrative is found across all aspects of media: movies, T.V, shows, animation, sculpture, fine art and more. In fine art, visual techniques such as line of vision, contrasting colours, balance and composition are narrative techniques. They direct the viewer on how to look at the work, thus forming a narrative for the story.

"...narrative involves choice or presentation – the way the story is realised or told. It is this facet, and the devices and surprises chosen in it, that are often the focus of textual analysis." - John Hartley

Egon Schiele (1890- 1920) was an Austrian expressionist painter based in Vienna. His "...signature graphic style, embrace[d] figural distortion, and bold[ly] defied the conventional norms of beauty..." (The Art Story, undt.), often focusing on the sexuality and eroticism of himself and his models. Schiele's paintings are often seen to be rather emotionally intense, sensitive and somewhat unsettling. His licentious lifestyle was marked with scandal, notoriety and his tragic early death at the age of twenty-eight, only days after the death of his pregnant wife.

The painting, Death and the Maiden, is thought to be derived from a melancholy and wistful genesis. At this point in time, Schiele had just chosen between the two most important women in his life, his long-time model and lover Wally Neuzil (top), and his new lover and wife Edith Harms (bottom).

He separated from his loyal model and lover Wally several months before marrying his new lover Edith.

In Death and the Maiden, this story is conveyed with visual technique. The male figure, who appears to be Egon, appears to be rather stricken and melancholy - almost traumatised - as a woman (who may be Wally with her tawny red hair) embraces him.

" The painting memorialises the end of his affair with Neuzil, seemingly conveying this separation as the death of true love." - The Art Story

There's no particular obvious structure to the story, but the feeling is rather clear. There's also a break from typical, strong man, weak woman stereotypes here. Schiele's body seems frail and fragile while, mind her skinny arms, Wally's legs seem strong.

Writing about narrative was a learning process. I originally didn't think about the separation between 'story' and 'narrative' until I had actually needed to ponder on it.

Just to restate, rather than the event, it is the technique. It's the thing that makes a story interesting. You could have the wildest and most amazing story to tell, but depending on how you deliver it, reactions could range from "Oh. Cool." to "That's the greatest thing I've heard today".

CIU110 Blog #3

Grassland

References

Bradley, K. (2015). Wally Neuzil: The secret life of Schiele’s muse. Bbc.com. Retrieved 4 March 2018, from http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150227-artists-muse-a-secret-life

Death and the maiden. Lamortdanslart.com. Retrieved 3 March 2018, from http://www.lamortdanslart.com/fille/maiden.htm

Edith. Retrieved from https://www.leopoldmuseum.org/media/image/800/14.jpg

Egon Schiele Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works. The Art Story. Retrieved 4 March 2018, from http://www.theartstory.org/artist-schiele-egon.htm

Egon Schiele Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works. The Art Story. Retrieved 4 March 2018, from http://www.theartstory.org/artist-schiele-egon-artworks.htm

Glover, M. (2013). Great Works: Death and the Maiden (1915-16) by Egon Schiele. The Independent. Retrieved 4 March 2018, from https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/great-works-death-and-the-maiden-1915-16-by-egon-schiele-8456208.html

Hartley, J. (2011). Communication, cultural and media studies (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.

Keyte, M. (2016). 10 Artworks By Egon Schiele You Should Know. Culture Trip. Retrieved 4 March 2018, from https://theculturetrip.com/europe/austria/articles/10-artworks-by-egon-schiele-you-should-know/

Wally Neuzil in Black Stockings. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Egon_Schiele%2C_Wally_Neuzil_in_Black_Stockings%2C_1912.jpg

What is Narrative Writing? - Definition, Types, Characteristics & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com. Study.com. Retrieved 4 March 2018, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-narrative-writing-definition-types-characteristics-examples.html