Oscar Kokoschka
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Oskar Kokoschka (1 March 1886 – 22 February 1980) was an Austrian artist,
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
, playwright, and teacher best known for his intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes, as well as his theories on vision that influenced the Viennese Expressionist movement.


Early life

The second child of Gustav Josef Kokoschka, a Bohemian goldsmith, and Maria Romana Kokoschka (née Loidl), Oskar Kokoschka was born in Pöchlarn. He had a sister, Berta, born in 1889; a brother, Bohuslav, born in 1892; and an elder brother who died in infancy. Oskar had a strong belief in omens, spurred by a story of a fire breaking out in Pöchlarn shortly after his mother gave birth to him. The family's life was not easy, largely due to a lack of financial stability of his father. They constantly moved into smaller flats, farther and farther from the thriving centre of the town. Concluding that his father was inadequate, Kokoschka drew closer to his mother; and seeing himself as the head of the household, he continued to support his family when he gained financial independence. Kokoschka entered a ''
Realschule ''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
'' in 1897, a type of secondary school, where emphasis was placed on the study of modern subjects such as the sciences and language. Despite his intent of continuing a formal education in chemistry, Kokoschka was not interested in such subjects, as he only excelled in art, and spent most of his time reading classic literature during his lessons. Like many of Kokoschka's French and German contemporaries, he was interested in the primitive and exotic art featured in the ethnographical exhibits around Europe.


Education

One of Kokoschka's teachers suggested he pursue a career in the fine arts after being impressed by some of his drawings. Against his father's will, Kokoschka applied to the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna, now the
University of Applied Arts Vienna The University of Applied Arts Vienna (german: Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, or informally just ''Die Angewandte'') is an arts university and institution of higher education in Vienna, the capital of Austria. It has had university sta ...
. He received a scholarship and was one of few applicants to be accepted. The Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule was a progressive school of applied arts that focused mainly on architecture, furniture, crafts, and modern design. Unlike the more prestigious and traditional
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...
, the Kunstgewerbeschule was dominated by instructors of the Vienna Secession. Kokoschka studied there from 1904 to 1909 and was influenced by his teacher Carl Otto Czeschka in developing an original style. Among Kokoschka's early works were gesture drawings of children, which portrayed them as awkward and corpse-like. Kokoschka had no formal training in painting and so approached the medium without regard to the "traditional" or "correct" way to paint. The teachers at the Kunstgewerbeschule helped Kokoschka gain opportunities through the
Wiener Werkstätte The Wiener Werkstätte (engl.: ''Vienna Workshop''), established in 1903 by the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann and the patron Fritz Waerndorfer, was a productive association in Vienna, Austria that b ...
or Viennese Workshops. Kokoschka's first commissions were postcards and drawings for children. Later, Kokoschka said that this exercise provided "the basis of isartistic training". His early career was marked by portraits of Viennese celebrities, painted in a nervously animated style. Following his own artistic training, Kokoschka dedicated years of his life thereafter teaching art and writing articles and speeches documenting his views and practices as an educator. 17th-century Czech humanist and education reformer, Jan Amos Comenius, was Kokoschka’s primary influence in terms of how to approach education. From Comenius’s theories, Kokoschka adopted the belief that students benefit most from using their five senses to facilitate reasoning. Kokoschka taught in Vienna from 1911 to 1913 and then again in Dresden from 1919 to 1923. While his efforts as a teacher were noted in various publications, they generally focused on his personality captured within his own art rather than his classroom practices. Kokoschka neglected the conventional structured methodologies and theories assumed by art educators, and instead taught through storytelling infused with mythological themes and dramatic emotion. In 1912, Kokoschka delivered his essay “Von der Natur der Gesichte” (“On the Nature of Visions”) at the Akademischen Verband für Literatur und Musik in Vienna. This essay outlined Kokoschka’s artistic conceptualization about the relationship between inner vision and optical sight. In considering his own art, Kokoschka expressed that inspiration stemmed from daily observations that he collected optically while engaging with his contemporary surroundings. Kokoschka’s ability to acknowledge how these stimulations manifested within his inner imagination resulted in works that draw upon the subconscious rather than optical vision. Further, Kokoschka granted the viewer with the task of interpreting the image based upon how they experience the vision within their own realm of consciousness. This concept, in congruency with Wassily Kandinsky’s theory pertaining to spirituality in art, has become the basis for which art historians understand Viennese Expressionism.


Career


Vienna Avant-Garde

In 1908 Kokoschka was offered the opportunity of submitting works to the first Vienna ''Kunstschau.'' This government funded exhibition was established to both bring in tourists and affirm Vienna's prominence within the art world. Kokoschka received a commission from the Director of the Wiener Werkstätte, Fritz Wärndorfer, for color images that would supplement a children’s book and be displayed at the exhibition. Kokoschka, however, took the liberty of producing images that would serve as illustrations to the poem he wrote a year earlier, ''Die träumenden Knaben (The Dreaming Youths)'', which took on the form of an autobiographical adolescent fantasy that was inappropriate for a young audience. In his autobiography, Kokoschka explained the origins of the poem, which follow his personal experience as a young student who was in love with his Swedish classmate, Lilith. ''Die träumenden Knaben'' consists of introductory pages with two small black and white lithographs, in addition to eight larger color lithographs with a vertical column of text positioned beside each image. Influenced by the compositions found in medieval art, Kokoschka depicted various moments in time simultaneously within each individual image. Kokoschka also adopted the bold lines and expressive colors of traditional European folk art and juxtaposed them with the stylized ornamentation and two-dimensional bodies of
Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...
. The final page, titled ''Das Mädchen Li und ich'' (the Girl Li and I), features the angular forms of the young boy (Kokoschka) and girl (Lilith), taking on the style of the Belgian sculptor George Minne. This work, which Kokoschka dedicated to his former teacher Gustav Klimt, demonstrates the transition from Jugendstil to Expressionism. ''Die träumenden Knaben'' along with the tapestry titled ''The Dream Bearers'', which is now lost, were the first works ever to be exhibited by Kokoschka. Like the book illustrations, Kokoschka’s tapestry was considered disturbing due to its depiction of youthful, exotic and sexualized fantasies. Upon showing these two works, Kokoschka was subject to a backlash from conservative officials and only a small proportion of the five hundred copies of ''Die träumenden Knaben'' were actually bound and sold. As a result, he was expelled from the Kunstgewerbeschule and found his place within the Viennese avant-garde. Austrian architect
Adolf Loos Adolf Franz Karl Viktor Maria Loos (; 10 December 1870 – 23 August 1933) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak architect, influential European theorist, and a polemicist of modern architecture. He was an inspiration to modernism and a widely- ...
befriended Kokoschka and introduced him to other avant-garde members who then became his subjects in a series of portrait paintings.


Portraiture

Kokoschka painted a bulk of his portraiture between 1909 and 1914. Unlike many of his contemporaries who were also receiving portrait commissions, such as Edvard Munch, Kokoschka maintained complete artistic freedom because they were generally not ordered directly by the sitter. A majority of Kokoschka’s subjects were clients of the architect Loos, and it was Loos who ordered the portraits and agreed to purchase them if the sitter chose not to. Other portraits by Kokoschka feature friends and advocates within his circle who supported the modern art of this period. Prominent members of this group who had their portraits painted include the art dealer
Herwarth Walden Herwarth Walden (actual name Georg Lewin; 16 September 1879, in Berlin – 31 October 1941, in Saratov, Russia) was a German expressionist artist and art expert in many disciplines. He is broadly acknowledged as one of the most important discove ...
, art supporter Lotte Franzos, poet
Peter Altenberg Peter Altenberg (9 March 1859 – 8 January 1919) was a writer and poet from Vienna, Austria. He played a key role in the genesis of early modernism in the city. Biography He was born Richard Engländer on 9 March 1859 in Vienna. The nom de p ...
, and art historians Hans and Erica Tietze. Kokoschka’s portraits demonstrate the conventions of traditional portraiture, primarily regarding the perspective in which he captures the sitters. However, Kokoschka also adopted elements of the modern style which involved incorporating hands within the composition to further capture the emotion expressed through an individual's gestures. These portraits also utilize the unconscious positioning of the sitter’s body, which Kokoschka believed would unveil the inner tensions of their subconscious. Kokoschka’s portraits incorporate an expressive color palette similar to those featured in the works of German Die Brücke artists at the time. Kokoschka’s use of shrill, harsh colors that make the subjects appear as rotting corpses is not meant to be understood as a portrayal of their individual physical conditions, but rather an overarching indication of a decomposing age. The bold lines and patches of bright color juxtaposed against an otherwise solid, dull background were visual interpretations of the anxieties felt by Kokoschka and those in circle. Kokoschka’s portraits, however, differed from those of his contemporaries due to his belief in the symbolic importance of the act of painting itself, which is emphasized by visible brushstrokes and areas of exposed canvas. Kokoschka integrated painterly techniques with those used in drawing, as seen in his use of vibrant and contrasting colors, rapid brushstrokes, anxious scratch marks, and uneven handling. In a letter from 1909, Kokoschka noted that he “would like to do a nervously disordered portrait.” With no additional elements to establish a narrative for the sitter, Kokoschka stressed that the essence of the individual comes out through the means of creating their image. Patrick Werkner, an art historian, describes Kokoschka’s portraits by suggesting that it is as if the skin becomes separated from the body, allowing the viewer to see through the physiognomy like a veil only to make visible the means of depiction. Kokoschka’s portraits as a whole comment on the overwhelming feelings of uncertainty felt by those who were aware of the shifting cultural milieu leading up the end of the old order of the Austrian Empire in 1918. Kokoschka’s portrait, '' Hans Tietze and
Erica Tietze-Conrat Erica Tietze-Conrat (née Erika Conrat, also known as Erica Tietze; born June 20, 1883 – died December 12, 1958) was an Austrian-born American art historian, one of the first women to study art history, a strong supporter of contemporary art in ...
'', was painted in 1909 in the library of the couple’s home. Aside from being close friends of the artist, the couple were also prominent art historians of the time. Erica Tietze-Conrat explained that while Kokoschka was creating their portrait, he encouraged them to move freely and continue their work at the two desks that were situated adjacent to one another by a window. After painting her husband in profile, Kokoschka asked Erica to position herself so that he could paint her frontally. Shortly after beginning the painting, Kokoschka set down his paintbrush and began using only his fingers. Kokoschka used his fingernails to scratch thin lines into the paint, which appear in outlines and areas of hatching and crosshatching, as well as throughout the background. Although painted in their library, the figures appear to be existing in a surreal, subliminal space. Kokoschka blends vibrant tones of blue and red upon an otherwise muted green background. In the portrait, the couple do not face each other, but their hands reach out as if they are about to touch. Their hands then become the means of communication, symbolizing the bridge for which their inner energies may flow back and forth. The couple was forced to flee Austria in 1938 as a result of their Jewish heritage, but were able to take with them this portrait that they refused to exhibit until it was purchased by the Museum of Modern Art in 1939.


Berlin

Kokoschka moved to Berlin in 1910, the same year the Neue Secession was established in Berlin. The group, composed of artists and philosophers such as Emil Nolde,
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-century ...
, Erich Heckel and
Max Pechstein Hermann Max Pechstein (31 December 1881 – 29 June 1955) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and a member of the Die Brücke group. He fought on the Western Front during World War I and his art was classified as Degenerate Ar ...
, formed as a rebellion against the older
Secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...
group. While Kokoschka refrained from adopting the group's techniques and ideologies, he did admire the sense of community established between its members. Berlin art dealer Paul Cassirer saw promise in Kokoschka's works and launched the artist into the international circle. Around the same time,
Herwarth Walden Herwarth Walden (actual name Georg Lewin; 16 September 1879, in Berlin – 31 October 1941, in Saratov, Russia) was a German expressionist artist and art expert in many disciplines. He is broadly acknowledged as one of the most important discove ...
, a publisher and art critic who was introduced to Kokoschka by Loos, employed Kokoschka as an illustrator for his magazine '' Der Sturm''. Twenty-eight drawings by Kokoschka were published in the magazine during its first year; and although he was featured significantly less, Kokoschka remained a contributor to the periodical. Kokoschka's first piece for ''Der Sturm,'' a drawing from the series ''Menschenköpfe (People's Heads),'' was dedicated to Karl Kraus. The twentieth Issue of the periodical featured both Kokoschka's first cover illustration, which supplemented ''Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen'', as well as the artist's first literary contribution. Kokoschka continued to travel back and forth between Vienna and Berlin over the next four years. Kokoschka had a passionate, often stormy affair with
Alma Mahler Alma Maria Mahler Gropius Werfel (born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler; 31 August 1879 – 11 December 1964) was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. At 15, she was mentored by Max Burckhard. Musically active from her early yea ...
. It began in 1912, five years after the death of her four-year-old daughter Maria Mahler and two years before her affair with
Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect and founder of the Bauhaus School, who, along with Alvar Aalto, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, is widely regarded as one ...
, later a celebrated architect in Berlin. But after two years together, Alma rejected him, explaining that she was afraid of being too overcome with passion. She married Walter Gropius in 1915 and lived with him until their divorce in 1920. Kokoschka continued to love Alma Mahler his entire life, and one of his most acclaimed works, '' The Bride of the Wind'' (''The Tempest''; 1913), is expressive of their relationship.Lachnit, Edwin (2003). "Kokoschka, Oskar". ''Grove Art Online''. The poet
Georg Trakl Georg Trakl (3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. He is perhaps best known for his poem " Grodek", which he wr ...
visited the studio while Kokoschka was painting this masterpiece. Kokoschka's poem ''Allos Makar'' was inspired by this relationship.


World War I

He volunteered for service as a cavalryman in the Austrian army in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and in 1915 was seriously wounded. At the hospital, the doctors decided that he was mentally unstable. Nevertheless, he continued to develop his career as an artist, traveling across Europe and painting the landscape. He commissioned a life-sized female doll in 1918. Although intended to simulate Alma and receive his affection, the 'Alma doll' did not satisfy Kokoschka and he destroyed it during a party. In 1919, Kokoschka began teaching at the Kunstakademie Dresden. In an open letter addressed to the inhabitants of Dresden from 1920, Kokoschka argued that the civil war battles between the revolutionary parties should be moved outside of the city’s borders in order to protect the art which could not escape the crossfire. This letter was penned after an incident on 15 March 1920 when a bullet damaged '' Bathsheba at the Fountain'', a painting by
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...
. As a result of his letter, Kokoschka received backlash from the Communist artists George Grosz and
John Heartfield John Heartfield (born Helmut Herzfeld; 19 June 1891 – 26 April 1968) was a 20th century German visual artist who pioneered the use of art as a political weapon. Some of his most famous photomontages were anti-Nazi and anti-fascist statements. ...
in what was referred to as the '' Kunstlump'' debate, or Art Scoundrel Debate. Many other artists, however, continued to support the work of Kokoschka. In May 1922 he attended the
International Congress of Progressive Artists International Congress of Progressive Artists was organised by Young Rhineland (Junge Rheinland), with help from the November Group, the Darmstadt Secession and the Dresden Secession in Düsseldorf, 29-31 May 1922. The aim of creating an internat ...
and signed the "Founding Proclamation of the Union of Progressive International Artists". Kokoschka returned to
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
in the Autumn of 1931, where he spent six months in the home he had purchased for his parents eleven years earlier. Located in Vienna’s 16th District known as Liebharstal, the house, now functioning as the artist’s studio, provided a view of Schloss Wilhelminenberg which had been converted into a Kinderheim, or orphanage, by the City Council. During this time, Kokoschka accepted a commission by the Social Democratic City Council, ‘ Red Vienna,’ for a painting that would be hung inside the Rathaus, or City Hall. Kokoschka, along with other Austrian artists, was asked to create an artwork depicting Vienna in contribution to this project managed by the Historisches Museum der Stadt (
Wien Museum The Vienna Museum (german: Wien Museum or ''Museen der Stadt Wien'') is a group of museums in Vienna consisting of the museums of the history of the city. In addition to the main building in Karlsplatz and the Hermesvilla, the group includes nume ...
). In honor of the humanitarian efforts of the City Counsel, Kokoschka decided to illustrate children playing outside of the palace in the foreground of the composition which otherwise consisted of a cityscape. Other identifiable Viennese architecture within the painting includes the City Hall and St. Stephen's Cathedral.


"Degeneracy" and World War II

Deemed a "
degenerate Degeneracy, degenerate, or degeneration may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Degenerate (album), ''Degenerate'' (album), a 2010 album by the British band Trigger the Bloodshed * Degenerate art, a term adopted in the 1920s by the Nazi Party i ...
" by the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
, Kokoschka fled Austria in 1934 for Prague. In Prague his name was adopted by a group of other expatriate artists, the Oskar-Kokoschka-Bund (OKB), though Kokoschka declined participation with their group. He obtained Czechoslovak citizenship in 1935. In 1938, when the Czechs began to mobilize for the expected invasion by the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
, he fled to the United Kingdom and remained there during the war. With the help of the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia (later the ''Czech Refugee Trust Fund''), all members of the OKB were able to escape through Poland and Sweden. During World War II, Kokoschka painted anti-Fascist works such as the allegory ''What We Are Fighting For'' (1943). Kokoschka left the bustling city center of London and settled in
Polperro Polperro ( kw, Porthpyra, meaning ''Pyra's cove'') is a large village, civil parish, and fishing harbour within the Polperro Heritage Coastline in south Cornwall, England. Its population is around 1,554. Polperro, through which runs the River ...
, in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. While residing in this seaside village, Kokoschka made paintings depicting landscapes of the harbor, along with ''The Crab'', which began a series of works embedded with political allegories resisting the Nazi regime. Kokoschka’s ''The Crab'' was painted between 1939 and 1940, and captures the view of the harbor from the artist’s house in Polperro. This work functions as a self-portrait of the artist, where Kokoschka is the swimmer representing Czechoslovakia. The large crab is symbolic of Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister at the time the painting was created. In explaining this painting, Kokoschka said the crab “would only have to put out one claw to save him from drowning, but remains aloof.” Further, this painting demonstrates the instability he felt as a result of German occupation forcing him to seek refuge in other countries across Europe. This landscape painting, amongst others by Kokoschka, were brought with him to London unfinished where they were transformed into political allegories. While in London, Kokoschka also painted ''The Red Egg,'' another political painting referencing the destruction of Czechoslovakia. In this satirical painting, Kokoschka comments on the
Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...
of 1938 with grotesque caricatures of Benito Mussolini and
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. During several summer months, he and his young Czech wife, Oldřiška “Olda” Palkovská Kokoschka (1915–2009), lived in
Ullapool Ullapool (; gd, Ulapul ) is a village and port located in Northern Scotland. Ullapool has a population of around 1,500 inhabitants. It is located around northwest of Inverness in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. Despite its modest size, ...
, a village in
Wester Ross Wester Ross () is an area of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in the council area of Highland. The area is loosely defined, and has never been used as a formal administrative region in its own right, but is generally regarded as lying to t ...
, Scotland. There he drew with coloured pencil (a technique he developed in Scotland), and painted many local landscape views in watercolour. While in Ullapool, Kokoschka painted a portrait of his friend, the wealthy industrialist Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, Uncle of Maria Altmann. The painting hangs at the Kunsthaus Museum in Zurich. Between 1941–1946 he and Olda spent several weeks each summer with the Czech Professor Emil Korner at his home The House of Elrig in
Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...
.


Later life

Kokoschka naturalised as a British subject on 21 February 1947 and would only regain Austrian citizenship in 1978. He travelled briefly to the United States in 1947 before settling in Villeneuve, Switzerland in 1953, where he lived the rest of his life. Kokoschka spent these years as an educator at the Internationale Sommer Akademie für Bildenden Künste, ( Ricarda Jacobi being one of his pupils) while also working on stage designs and publishing a collection of his writings. A retrospective of Kokoschka's work was exhibited at the Tate Gallery in London in 1962. As a member of the Deutscher Künstlerbund, Oskar Kokoschka took part in its annual exhibitions from 1952 to 1955. 6He took part in documenta 1 (1955), documenta II (1959), and also documenta III in 1964 in Kassel. In 1966 he won the competition for the commissioned portrait of
Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian Dem ...
for the
German Bundestag German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
against his competitor Eugen Denzel. Kokoschka died on 22 February 1980 in Montreux, at the age of 93, eight days before his 94th birthday, of complications after contracting influenza. He was interred in the Montreux Central Cemetery. Kokoschka had much in common with his contemporary
Max Beckmann Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (February 12, 1884 – December 27, 1950) was a German painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the movement. In the 1920s ...
. Both maintained their independence from German Expressionism, yet are now regarded as textbook examples of the style. Nonetheless, their individualism set both apart from the main movements of twentieth-century
modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
. Both wrote eloquently of the need to develop the art of "seeing" (Kokoschka emphasized depth perception while Beckmann was concerned with mystical insight into the invisible realm), and both were masters of innovative oil-painting techniques anchored in earlier traditions.


Honours

Kokoschka was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
in the 1959 New Year Honours. He also received the
Erasmus Prize The Erasmus Prize is an annual prize awarded by the board of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation to individuals or institutions that have made exceptional contributions to culture, society, or social science in Europe and the rest of the world. I ...
in 1960 together with Marc Chagall.


Artworks

*1909: ''Lotte Franzos'' *1909: ''Martha Hirsch I'' *1909: ''Hans and Erika Tietze'' *1909: ''St. Veronica with the Sudarium'' *1909: ''Les Dents du Midi'' *1909: ''Children Playing'' *1910: ''Still Life with Lamb and Hyacinth'' *1910: ''Rudolf Blümner'' *1911: Lady in Red *1911: ''Hermann Schwarzwald I'' *1911: ''Egon Wellesz'' *1911: ''Crucifixion'' *1912: ''Two Nudes'' *1913: ''Landscape in the Dolomites (with Cima Tre Croci)'' *1913: ''The Tempest'' *1913: ''Carl Moll'' *1913: ''Still Life with Putto and Rabbit'' *1914: '' The Bride of the Wind'' *1914: ''Portrait of Franz Hauser'' *1915: ''Knight Errant'' *1917: ''Portrait of the Artist's Mother'' *1917: ''Lovers with Cat'' *1917: ''Stockholm Harbour'' *1920: ''The Power of Music'' *1919: ''Dresden, Neustadt I'' *1921: ''Dresden, Neustadt II'' *1921: ''Two Girls'' *1922: ''Self-Portrait at the Easel'' *1923: ''Self-Portrait with Crossed Arms'' *1924: ''Venice, Boats on the Dogana'' *1925: ''Amsterdam, Kloveniersburgwal I'' *1925: ''Toledo'' *1926: ''Mandrill'' *1926: ''Deer'' *1926: ''London Large Thames View I'' *1929: ''Arab Women and Child'' *1929: ''Pyramids at Gizeh'' *1932: ''Girl with Flowers'' *1934: ''Prague, View from the Villa Kramář'' *1936: ''Portrait Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer'' *1937: ''Olda Palkovská'' *1938: ''Prague – Nostalgia'' *1940: ''The Crab'' *1941: ''Anschluss – Alice in Wonderland'' *1941: ''The Red Egg'' *1948: ''Self-Portrait (Fiesole)'' *1950: ''The Myth of Prometheus'' *1962: ''Storm Tide in Hamburg'' *1966: ''The Rejected Lover'' *1966: ''Portrait of
Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian Dem ...
'' *1971: ''Time, Gentlemen, Please''


Writings

Kokoschka's literary works are as peculiar and interesting as his art. His memoir, ''A Sea Ringed with Visions'', details his theories of both corporeal and visceral vision and how they shape consciousness, art, and realities. His short play '' Murderer, the Hope of Women'' (1909, set ten years later by
Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...
as '' Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen'') is often called the first Expressionist drama. His '' Orpheus und Eurydike'' (1918) became an opera by
Ernst Krenek Ernst Heinrich Krenek (, 23 August 1900 – 22 December 1991) was an Austrian, later American, composer of Czech origin. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including ''Music Here and Now'' (1939), a study ...
, who was first approached for incidental music.


Bibliography

*1908: ''Die traumenden Knaben'' (The Dreaming Youths) Vienna: Wiener Werkstätte (Originally published in an edition of 500 by the Wiener Werkstätte. Unsold copies numbered 1–275, were reissued in 1917 by Kurt Wolff Verlag.) *1909: ''Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen'' (Murderer, the Hope of Women) (Play) *1913: ''Der gefesselte Columbus'' (Columbus Bound).
erlin Erlin may refer to: Places *Erlin, Changhua, a township in Taiwan *Erlin, Ohio, an unincorporated community in the United States People *Robbie Erlin Robert Joseph Erlin (born October 8, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher wh ...
Fritz Gurlitt Friedrich "Fritz" Gurlitt (3 October 1854 – 8 February 1893), originally from Vienna, was a Berlin based art dealer and collector, specialising, in particular, in contemporary art. After his early death the art gallery he had established in cent ...
, 913(known as ''Der weisse Tiertoter'' (The White Animal Slayer). *1919: ''Orpheus and Eurydike'', in: ''Vier Dramen: Orpheus und Eurydike; Der brennende Dornbusch; Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen; ndHiob''. Berlin *1955: ''Designs of the Stage-Settings for W.A. Mozart's Magic Flute, Salzburg Festival 1955/56''. Salzburg: Galerie Welz *1962: ''A Sea Ringed with Visions''. London: Thames & Hudson (Autobiography) *1974: ''My Life''; translated (from "Mein Leben") by David Britt. London: Thames & Hudson


First productions of plays

* 1907: ''Sphinx und Strohmann. Komödie für Automaten''. 29 March 1909 at Cabaret Fledermaus, Vienna * 1909: ''Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen'' * 1911: ''Der brennende Dornbusch'' * 1913: ''Sphinx und Strohmann, Ein Curiosum''. 14 April 1917 in the ''Dada-Galerie'', Zürich * 1917: ''Hiob'' (an enlarged version of ''Sphinx und Strohmann'', 1907) * 1919: ''Orpheus und Eurydike'' ** 1923: new version as opera libretto; music by
Ernst Krenek Ernst Heinrich Krenek (, 23 August 1900 – 22 December 1991) was an Austrian, later American, composer of Czech origin. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including ''Music Here and Now'' (1939), a study ...
. 27 November 1926 at the Staatstheater Kassel * 1936–38/1972: ''
Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considere ...
''


Articles, essays and writings

* 1960: "Lettre de Voyage", Oskar Kokoschka, ''X magazine'', Vol. I, No. II (March 1960)


See also

*'' Facing the Modern: The Portrait in Vienna 1900''


References

Further sources * Adamson, Donald "Oskar Kokoschka at Polperro", in: ''The Cornish Banner'', November 2009, pp. 19–33 * Adamson, Donald "Researching Kokoschka", in: ''The Cornish Banner'', November 2010, pp. 22–24 * K. Holz, ''Modern German Art for Thirties Paris, Prague, and London: Resistance and Acquiescence in a Democratic Public Sphere''
Extensive article
in the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
'' * Holz, K. (2004) ''Modern German Art for Thirties Paris, Prague, and London: resistance and acquiescence in a democratic public sphere''. Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan Press The University of Michigan Press is part of Michigan Publishing at the University of Michigan Library. It publishes 170 new titles each year in the humanities and social sciences. Titles from the press have earned numerous awards, including ...
* Kokoschka, Oskar (1962) ''A Sea Ringed with Visions''. London: Thames & Hudson (Autobiography) * Weidinger, Alfred (1996) ''Kokoschka and Alma Mahler''. Munich: Prestel-Verlag


Literature

* Alfred Weidinger: ''Oskar Kokoschka. Dreaming Boy and Enfant Terrible. Early Graphic Works, 1902–1909''. Ed. Albertina, Vienna 1996. * Alfred Weidinger: ''Kokoschka and Alma Mahler: Testimony to a Passionate Relationship''. Prestel, New York 1996, * Tobias G. Natter, (Ed.), ''Oskar Kokoschka. The Early Portraits 1909–1914'', exhibition catalog Neue Galerie New York and Hamburger Kunsthalle. DuMont, Cologne 2001, . * Paul Westheim, ''Oskar Kokoschka : das Werk Kokoschkas in 135 Abbildungen'', exhibition catalogue, Paul Cassirer Verlag, Berlin, 1925.


Filmography

* ''Kokoschka Life's work'', documentary directed by Michel Rodde, Switzerland, 2017, 91', distributed in Canada by K-Films Amérique (VOD).


Further reading

* Oskar Kokoschka – La mia vita, Carmine Benincasa – Ed. Marsilio, Venezia 1981 * Oskar Kokoschka, "Lettre de Voyage", ''X magazine'', Vol. I, No. II (March 1960) *Berland, Rosa JH. "Expressionist Death Images and the Feminine Other: Oskar Kokoschka’s Mörder Hoffnung der Frauen (1907) and Hugo Von Hofmannsthal’s Elektra (1903). ''Death Representations in Literature''. Cambridge Scholars, 2015. * Berland, Rosa JH. "The radical work of Oskar Kokoschka and the alternative venues of Die Kunstschauen of 1908–1909, Vienna, Austria." ''Exhibiting Outside the Academy, Salon and Biennial, 1775–1999''. Ashgate Press, 2015. * Tobias G. Natter, Franz Smola (Eds.), ''Kokoschka. Das Ich im Brennpunkt'', Brandstätter Publishing, Vienna 2013, . * * * Hilde Berger: ''Ob es Hass ist solche Liebe? Oskar Kokoschka und Alma Mahler'', Böhlau Verlag, Wien 1999 , 2nd edition 2008 * Tobias G. Natter, ''Die Welt von Klimt, Schiele und Kokoschka. Sammler und Mäzene'', DuMont, Cologne 2003, . * Oliver Hilmes: ''Witwe im Wahn. Das Leben der Alma Mahler-Werfel'', Siedler Vlg., München 2004 . * Tobias G. Natter, Max Hollein (Eds.),''The Naked Truth: Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka, and other Scandals'', Prestel, Munich, 2005, . * Wolfgang Maier-Preusker: ''Buch- und Mappenwerke mit Grafik des Deutschen Expressionismus'', Ausst.Kat. für Hansestadt Wismar, Wien 2006 * Tilo Richter (ed.): ''Horst Tappe: Kokoschka'', m. Fotografien v. Horst Tappe, Zitaten (d/e/f) u. Grafiken v. Oskar Kokoschka, Vorwort v. Christoph Vitali, Christoph Merian Verlag, Basel 2005 * Heinz Spielmann: ''Oskar Kokoschka – Leben und Werk'', Dumont Verlag. Köln 2003 . * Alfred Weidinger: Kokoschkas King Lear. Albertina, Wien 1995 * Alfred Weidinger: ''Kokoschka und Alma Mahler  –  Dokumente einer leidenschaftlichen Begegnung'', Reihe 'Pegasus Bibliothek', Prestel Vlg., München/New York 1996 . * ''Widerstand statt Anpassung: Deutsche Kunst im Widerstand gegen den Faschismus 1933–1945'', Elefanten Press Verlag GmbH, Berlin 1980 * Alfred Weidinger, Alice Strobl: ''Oskar Kokoschka. Die Zeichnungen und Aquarelle 1897–1916''. Werkkatalog, 1. Band. Hg. Albertina. Verlag Galerie Welz, Salzburg 2008 * Alfred Weidinger: ''Oskar Kokoschka. Träumender Knabe – Enfant terrible, 1906–1922''. Ed.
Agnes Husslein Agnes Husslein, also Agnes Husslein-Arco, (born 22 May 1954) is an Austrian art historian and art manager. Life Husslein was born the daughter of Felicitas (''née'' Boeckl) and Carl Heinrich Arco in Vienna (1920–1978).Friedrich Welz: ''Oskar Kokoschka – Das druckgraphische Werk '', Verlag Galerie Welz, Salzburg 1975 * Johann Winkler, Katharina Erling: ''Oskar Kokoschka. Die Gemälde 1906–1929'', Verlag Galerie Welz, Salzburg 1995


External links

*
Fondation Oskar Kokoschka
at the Musée Jenisch in
Vevey Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the district of ...
, with illustrations of Kokoschka works, text in French
Kokoschka: Knight Errant of 20th Century Painting
a memorial lecture by Carol Hoorn Fraser


Kokoschka's "Double Portrait of Hans Mardersteig and Carl Georg Heise", "The Mandril" and "Walter Hasenclever"
at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, with images of the works, and descriptions in English. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kokoschka, Oskar 1886 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Austrian painters 20th-century British painters 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Austrian Expressionist painters Austrian emigrants to Scotland Austrian landscape painters Austrian male painters Austrian people of Czech descent Austrian printmakers Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I British emigrants to Switzerland British Expressionist painters British landscape painters British male painters Expressionist dramatists and playwrights Honorary Members of the Royal Academy Modernist theatre Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Orientalist painters Emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss People from Melk District Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) University of Applied Arts Vienna alumni Wiener Werkstätte Dresden Academy of Fine Arts faculty 20th-century British male artists 20th-century Austrian male artists