Description
Agony (The Death Struggle) is a 1912 painting by Egon Schiele: two robed monks against an ochre and brown ground, one lying back with his eyes closed and his hands raised, the other leaning over him. The original is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich under inventory number 13073 and measures 80 x 70 cm. We paint it by hand in oils on canvas at the size you choose, and before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished work for approval.
| Title: | Agony (The Death Struggle) |
| Painter: | Egon Schiele (1890–1918) |
| Year: | 1912 |
| Original size (width × height): | 80 cm x 70 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Style: | Expressionism |
| Location: | Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich (inv. 13073) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, 5 sizes from 75 x 65 cm to 165 x 145 cm or a made-to-measure size |
Agony (The Death Struggle) – Egon Schiele
What does the painting show?
Two robed figures stand against an ochre and brown surface. The lower one lies back, his eyes closed and his hands raised, the fingers spread. The other leans over him in a brown habit with a white cowl, his face lined. The drapery is not painted smoothly but broken into faceted planes of rust, olive and orange, each one outlined in dark brown. Those planes carry the whole picture: the figures read as two mountains of cloth with only faces and hands showing. There is no background, and nothing draws the eye away from the two men.
Why do people love it?
Because it is built out of planes of colour like a stained-glass window and still stays human. Rust, olive and orange are warm earth tones that get along with wood, leather, brick and linen, while the dark outlines keep the painting readable from across the room. The scene is serious but not grisly: two people and a pair of hands. People choose it for rooms where they spend time – a study, a dining room, a reading corner or a hallway.
Where does it sit among Schiele’s works?
Among his pictures of pairs – two figures who belong together or are coming apart. Related works in our selection are The Hermits, Cardinal and Nun (Caress), Self-Seers II (Death and Man) and Death and the Maiden. Agony dates from 1912, when Schiele was twenty-two. The full selection is in the Egon Schiele gallery, with more on his life in our article about Egon Schiele.
How is our hand-painted version made?
A painter works every canvas in oils, stroke by stroke: a hand-painted painting made for your order, not a machine print. Two things decide whether the copy works. The first is the planes of cloth: each must stay a plane of its own with a clear edge, because if the painter softens them the habits turn into ordinary folds and the picture loses its structure. The second is the faces and hands – the only places where the colour is soft; it is the contrast between hard planes and soft skin that carries the scene. Like the original, our copy is oil on canvas. When it is finished we photograph it and send you the photograph for approval, and only then does it ship. This work has not yet been painted and photographed in our workshop, so there are no workshop photographs of it on this page yet: the single photograph on the page shows the painting itself.
Which size for which wall?
The original is landscape, 80 cm wide and 70 cm high, and our 75 x 65 cm comes closest to it. A landscape shape belongs above longer furniture: a sofa, a bed, a sideboard or a dining table. In a smaller room or over a chest of drawers, 75 x 65 cm and 85 x 75 cm; above a sofa in the living room, 115 x 100 cm or 130 x 115 cm; on a large bare wall, 165 x 145 cm. Over a sofa the picture should be about two thirds as wide as the sofa, with its lower edge 25–30 cm above the back. Hang it with the centre at eye level, about 145–150 cm from the floor.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If none of our sizes suits your wall, we paint the work to your own measurement. If you choose “YES” under the Stretcher option, the canvas comes stretched on a wooden stretcher bar, ready to hang. Our 3D application is for choosing a frame only, not for showing the work on your wall. The frame is chosen separately and need not be part of the order.
Delivery and guarantee
We paint to order and deliver to sixteen countries in the European Union, among them Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Germany and France; the United Kingdom and Ireland are not currently among them. The painting arrives protectively packed and, if you chose “YES” under Stretcher, stretched on the stretcher bar; before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished work to approve. Production time depends on the size and on the studio’s workload. Every order is covered by our Returns and Refund Policy.
Frequently asked questions
What does Agony show?
Two robed monks against an ochre and brown ground. One lies back with his eyes closed and his hands raised, the other leans over him in a brown habit with a white cowl. The drapery is broken into faceted planes of rust, olive and orange.
Where is the original and how big is it?
In the Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich, under inventory number 13073. It measures 80 cm wide and 70 cm high; our 75 x 65 cm comes closest to it.
When did Schiele paint it?
In 1912, at twenty-two. It is one of his mature works.
What colours does it live with?
Rust, olive, orange and ochre – all warm earth tones. It looks very good beside oak, walnut, leather, brick and linen, and also on a darker wall.
Is this a print?
No. Every canvas is painted by hand in oils by a painter, for your order. We photograph the finished work and send you the photograph before it is dispatched.
How do I look after it?
Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators and damp. Dust it with a dry soft brush; never use water or detergent on an oil painting.
Does it work as a gift?
Yes; if you are unsure which size to choose, or you do not know the wall, there is a gift voucher and the recipient picks the size.
