Egon Schiele – Sunflowers I

Sunflowers I is a 1911 painting by Egon Schiele: towering sunflower plants that fill the whole canvas, with heavy olive and brown leaves hanging down like rags and dark, almost black flower heads. The original is held by the Belvedere in Vienna under inventory number 2494 and measures 80.3 x 90 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.

Sunflowers I – Egon Schiele

What does the painting show?

The sunflowers stand right in front of the viewer and fill the whole canvas: no sky, no horizon, only plants from the bottom edge to the top. The leaves are heavy, olive and brown, and hang down like wet rags. The flower heads are dark, almost black, and only a few blooms at the bottom and the top open into a ring of yellow petals. A pale cream wall shows at the edges and closes the scene off. These are not summer sunflowers in a vase but tall plants at the end of the season – upright, dry and surprisingly solemn.

Why do people love it?

Because they are unlike anything you expect from this subject. Instead of cheerful yellow there is a dark, autumnal palette – olive, brown, near-black, with a few yellow rings – and that is exactly why the painting gets along with modern furniture, wood and earth tones. The upright shape gives a wall height, which is useful in narrow rooms and under high ceilings. People also like it because the subject is familiar and widely loved, but treated here seriously and without ornament.

Where does it sit among Schiele’s works?

Among his paintings of plants and trees, which he treated as single figures rather than decoration. Related works in our selection are Chrysanthemums, Stylized Flowers, Autumn Tree in Stirred Air and Small Tree in Late Autumn. Sunflowers I dates from 1911. 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 leaves: they have to look heavy and drooping, painted with one stroke per leaf, because a painter who works them up turns them into ornament. The second is the dark flower heads – not really black but condensed brown and violet – in which the structure has to stay visible, or they become holes in the canvas. 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 upright, 80.3 cm wide and 90 cm high, and our 85 x 95 cm comes closest to it. An upright shape stretches a wall, so it works in narrow rooms, between two windows, in a dining corner or in a hallway. Over a chest of drawers or in a bedroom, 45 x 50 cm; over a desk or in a dining corner, 75 x 85 cm or 85 x 95 cm; above a sofa in the living room, 110 x 125 cm or 125 x 140 cm; on a large wall or in a room with a high ceiling, 150 x 170 cm. Hang it with the centre at eye level, about 145–150 cm from the floor. The thick paint of the leaves looks best in raking light, so hang it where the light comes from the side.

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 Sunflowers I show?

Towering sunflower plants that fill the whole canvas. Heavy olive and brown leaves hang down, the flower heads are dark and almost black, and a few blooms are ringed with yellow petals. A pale cream wall shows at the edges. There is no sky and no horizon.

How is it different from Van Gogh’s sunflowers?

Van Gogh’s sunflowers are bright yellow blooms in a vase. Schiele’s are whole plants, painted from the ground to the top, with dark heads and drooping leaves – autumnal and far more restrained in colour.

Where is the original and how big is it?

It is held by the Belvedere in Vienna under inventory number 2494. It measures 80.3 cm wide and 90 cm high; our 85 x 95 cm comes closest to it.

Will it suit a light room?

Yes. Precisely because the palette is dark and earthy, it works as a quiet centre in a light, neutral room. It is at its best on a white, cream or pale grey wall, next to oak, walnut or rattan.

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, detergent or furniture spray 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.