Egon Schiele, Dead Mother I
This piece by German artist Egon Schiele is part of a larger series of (dead) mothers and their children. Schiele depicts the tragic loss of a mother after childbirth, and the sacrifice women endure to bring in new life. This lifeless mother, etched in cool earthy tones, is contrasted by her newborn child who exudes life and warm, vibrant color. Schiele connects the figure of the mother and child through technique and attention to subject matter. Schiele often used his mentor, Auguste Rodin’s, technique of continuous drawing, maintaining the connection between pen and paper, and artist and subject. Remnants of this technique are visible within this piece, as Schiele connects the bodies of mother and child through the curved, fluid lines of the blanketÂ
Schiele imagines the remorse and sadness of a mother who has to leave her child so soon after bringing them into this world. The lack of clear distinction of the separate bodies of mother and child also highlights their unparalleled bond.
Created four years before WWII, the piece seems a darker take on motherhood, perhaps betraying the tremors of a society on the verge. Inaugurating a century characterized by tremendous loss and enormous sacrifices of everyday people, this piece envisions a future with a lifeless mother, more a memory or lost potential of motherhood than the thing itself.