Early Life and Education
Oskar Kokoschka, an Austrian artist, poet, and playwright, was born on March 1, 1886, in Pöchlarn, to Gustav Josef Kokoschka, a Czech goldsmith, and Maria Romana Kokoschka (née Loidl). His life was marked by a strong belief in omens, which influenced his artistic style. Kokoschka's education at Realschule focused on modern subjects, but he excelled only in art, reading classic literature during his lessons, which later influenced his work.
Artistic Career
Kokoschka's artistic journey began at Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Arts and Crafts) in Vienna from 1904 to 1909. He was one of three accepted out of 153 applicants, under the guidance of Professor Carl Otto Czeschka, who helped him develop an original style. His early works featured gesture drawings of children, portraying them as awkward and corpse-like.
- Kokoschka's first commissions were postcards and drawings for children, which he described as "the basis of artistic training."
- His early career was marked by portraits of Viennese celebrities in a nervously animated style.
- A passionate affair with Alma Mahler inspired his masterpiece, The Bride of the Wind (The Tempest), a tribute to her.
War and Later Life
Kokoschka volunteered for service in World War I and was seriously wounded in 1915. Deemed a degenerate by the Nazis, he fled Austria in 1934 for Prague and later settled in the United Kingdom during the war. He became a British citizen in 1946 and regained Austrian citizenship in 1978.
Legacy
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Kokoschka passed away on February 22, 1980, in Montreux, leaving behind a legacy of intense expressionistic portraits and landscapes that continue to inspire artists and art enthusiasts alike.