Sturm 1925

Albin Egger-Lienz made this drawing, Sturm, with pencil on paper. Although undated, we know it was made in Austria in the first decades of the 20th century. The sketch depicts a crouching figure with clenched fists, and the title evokes a sense of violent upheaval, and the artwork reflects the cultural and political tensions of the period leading up to and following World War I. Egger-Lienz lived through the Austro-Hungarian empire’s collapse and he was skeptical about its institutions. Notice that the figure is cropped and incomplete, and the formal choice may reflect his view of the damaged state of society at the time. Historians can look at the artist’s biography, political events, and cultural movements of the time to help understand the context of the drawing. They might also consider the place of the artist within the institutional structures of the art world and the public role of his work.