Impressive still life of flowers of large dimensions, work of Eugene Biel-Bienne (1902-1969), standard-bearer of the Viennese school of expressionism, one of the most prominent aspects of this artistic movement. He was close to artists such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.
His life is fundamental to understand his work. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Vienna and did a doctorate in Art History at the University of Cologne. Vienna, awash with intellectual fervor, was fast becoming an incomparable center of cultural activity. Freud, Mahler, Klimt, Loos, Meis van der Rohe, Hoffman, Herzl, Schoenberg and others were creating new schools of thought in fields such as psychoanalysis, linguistic philosophy, music, art....
Actually, he began his career as a painter in Paris, where he became associated with the School of Paris in the 1930s and became interested in Sigmund Freud's theories of psychoanalysis. Only six years later he held his first solo exhibition. In addition, during his time in Paris, Biel became interested in the work of Kandinksy and began to experiment on his own with the lines of the abstract movement (on which he insisted during his stay in the USA).
During his adolescence he suffered the consequences of the terrifying disaster of the First World War, and served in the French army during the Second World War. This war was especially close to his heart, as he lost his two sons and his wife was disabled when the car in which she was riding was machine-gunned. They had to be evacuated from France, and marched to New York. Later, he also spent a few years in Caracas (Venezuela). He continued to paint for most of his life, and his paintings were exhibited in galleries and museums all over the world.
These tragic events conditioned his work, full of suggestive drawings that portray the darkness and pessimism that inhabited his inner self. This work is dated 1952, ten years after arriving in the USA. It depicts two vases with flowers that stand out for their saturated and contrasting colors on a dark background. It is a painting of fast and loose brushstrokes, very impastoed and material, allowing itself to be carried away by the expression of the artist's feelings and sensibility, a maxim of the movement to which it belongs. Each brushstroke is expressive in itself. It is a very personal work, which shows his tormented spirit.
Still lifes have their origin in antiquity, although it was not until the seventeenth century when they reached a great success. Since then, many artists (Cézzane, Picasso) used the still life genre for their artistic experimentation, absolutely modern, or because they were attracted by the symbolism they contain. These works allude to the transitory nature of human existence. The withering flowers are a clear symbol of the transience of life.
It is curious that there are two vases with flowers, could this work be a memory of his two sons lost in the war?
In short, Eugene Biel was one of the most promising expressionist artists in Europe, but his memory and his work have been largely unknown, even though his work has been exhibited in renowned museums such as the National Gallery in Berlin, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid, the Belvedere in Vienna, the Musée 'Nationale D'Art Moderne in Paris...
About Expressionism
Expressionism was an avant-garde movement that emerged in Germany in the early 20th century. from its beginnings, it was deeply marked by the tormented and convulsive climate of the time in which it arose, and the desire for the false and ancient values that artists wished to bury. Although it affected all the arts, it was especially prominent in painting and cinema. It is based on a deformation of reality to express it in a more subjective way, showing feelings and emotions, under a pessimistic filter.
It was, therefore, a way of understanding art and an attitude towards art and life that emerged as a reaction to naturalism, impressionism and its positivist character at the end of the century. Technical advances, especially in the field of art, the appearance of photography and cinema, led the artist to consider the function of his work, which no longer consisted of imitating reality, since the new techniques did so in a more objective way.
"Expressionists", in the literal sense of the word, in terms of deformers of reality, can be found much earlier (El Greco, Goya, Van Gogh...); however, the expressionist movement was defined in the pre-war atmosphere of Germany when various artists came together in search of a more personal art, in which the artist's inner vision (expression) predominated over the representation of reality (impression).
Get in Touch
Make An Offer
We noticed you are new to Pamono!
Please accept the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
Get in Touch
Make An Offer
Almost There!
To follow your conversation on the platform, please complete the registration. To proceed with your offer on the platform, please complete the registration.Successful
Thanks for your inquiry, someone from our team will be in touch shortly
If you are a Design Professional, please apply here to get the benefits of the Pamono Trade Program