Egon Schiele (June 12, 1890 October 31, 1918) (pronounced shee-
leh) was an Austrian painter, a protege of Gustav Klimt, and a
major figurative painter of the early 20th century. Due to the
highly-charged nature of his drawings and paintings and his
premature death, Schiele has come to epitomise the popular image
of the tortured artist. Egon Schiele was born in Tulln on the
Danube. His father, Adolf, worked for the Austrian State
Railways as a station master; his mother, Marie, was from
Krumau, in Bohemia. As a child, he attended the school run by
the Stift Klosterneuburg, where his arts teacher K.L. Strauch
recognized and supported Schiele's artistic talent. Egon
Schiele, Self-portrait, 1912 Egon Schiele, Self-portrait, 1912
When Schiele was 15 years old, his father died of syphilis, and
he became a ward of his uncle (his mother's brother), who became
distressed by Schiele's lack of interest in academic studies,
yet recognized his passion and talent for art. In 1906 Schiele
applied at Kunstgewerbeschule (the