Provenance
Fritz Grünbaum (1880–1941), Vienna, by 1925 [Vienna 1925]; by descent to his wife, Elizabeth (née Herzl; 1898–1942); by descent to her sister, Mathilde Lukacs, Brussels [letter from Eberhard Kornfeld, Sept. 28, 2002]; sold, Gutekunst & Klipstein, Bern, 1956, lot. 39. Galerie St. Etienne, New York, by 1957. David Kimball. Leo Askew. Sold by B. C. Holland, Chicago, to the Art Institute, 1966.
Accession Number
25342
Medium
Opaque watercolor, over graphite, on cream wove paper
Dimensions
43.8 × 30.8 cm (17 1/4 × 12 3/16 in.)
Classification
graphite
Credit Line
Given in memory of Gloria Brackstone Solow from Dr. Eugene A. Solow and Family
Background & Context
Background Story
Egon Schiele's "Russian War Prisoner" (1916) is an opaque watercolor over graphite on cream wove paper, created during World War I. Schiele (1890–1918) was conscripted into the Austrian army in 1915, but he continued to draw and paint throughout his service, producing a remarkable series of portraits of fellow prisoners and soldiers in the camps where he was stationed. This portrait of a Russian war prisoner shows the man in a state of exhaustion and despair, his head bowed, his features drawn. The opaque watercolor technique gives the figure a solid, sculptural presence that contrasts with the sketchier treatment of the background. The palette is subdued, dominated by the grays and browns of military life. Schiele's war drawings are among the most powerful anti-war statements in modern art, documenting the human cost of conflict with unflinching honesty. Schiele would die of influenza in 1918, just days after his wife, who was pregnant. This portrait stands as a testament to his commitment to recording the human condition, even in the most extreme circumstances.
Cultural Impact
Schiele's war drawings represent one of the most powerful bodies of work created by an artist during active military service, documenting the faces of war with a compassion and intensity that transcends propaganda.
Why It Matters
This portrait of a Russian war prisoner captures the human cost of war with Schiele's characteristic psychological intensity, the bowed head and drawn features conveying the exhaustion and despair of captivity.
