Oskar Kokoschka, Works on Paper

the long version

This book, the catalogue to an exhibition presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, showcases the extraordinary drawings, watercolors, and lithographs of Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980), one of Expressionism's leading figures. A wide range of works on paper is included, beginning with a delicately rendered drawing of a girl from a recently discovered student sketchbook and academic nudes drawn while Kokoschka was enrolled at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Applied Arts) from 1904 to 1908. It was during this period that he made his first professional works, charming postcards and fans for the influential Wiener Werkstatte. These decorative works soon gave way to his more mature style, characterized by a masterly command of draughtsmanship and an often-violent subject matter that plumbs the depths of the human psyche, instinct, and myth. This volume includes a broad selection of works from the years when Kokoschka was at the height of his artistic powers, creating deeply charged portraits, figure studies, and dramatic illustrations based on the literary works he authored. It concludes with examples from an important series of war drawings inspired by the artist's experiences as a soldier during World War I.