When I was little we were taken from school for a tour of the museum. There were 2 counters, one with books and paintings by Van Gogh and Picasso and the other with paintings by Egon Schiele. I had a mystical experience with him, the interpretation of which I received only years later. This series is a tribute to Egon Shiele and me.
Green Passion
I met Egon in another century, on an alien continent
When I was about 7.5, our teacher took us to the art bookstore
All the kids crowded next to the stand with Picasso and VanGogh books
I approached another book stand with Egon Schiele wrapped inside
I was pushed back
Intense lines, authenticity, wild encounters exploded my inner self
Since I was a kid I have been searching after boney features in other people
As a professional artist, I was driven by the idea coming from my intestine
to make Homage to Egon Schiele
I decided to let him in
There were times I managed to bring his entire image & sometimes only the entity.
Once in a while I was helped by an endless-legs-girl who functioned as a link between us.
We shared love and ascetic lifestyle
I taught him how to play “Pick-up sticks”. I tried to recollect how to play “String figure”
Step by step I laid down my feet on a red thread, resting on Egon’s torso, while his
Hair served me as a safety net
Passionately waiting for him to blow out the “love letters”
Covered with vale I proposed to him saying: “one day, you will marry me”
We talked, giggled and enjoyed ourselves under the cover
The blanket absorbed our reflections and kept our secrets
I embroidered a strip using a red thread to embrace our bare feet
When it was really freezing, Gustav lent us an additional cover
When Egon felt pressure in his lungs, I warmed tea bags & let them rest on his chest to sooth the pain
When he recovered we played “witch on a stick”
We danced an insane green passion dance
I groped his face again and again, as if I did not know it was him
Egon is my first love, my first passion
His image is burned into every single cell of my body and soul
Orit Goldman © all rights reserved
Orit Goldman is a mixed media artist from Israel. You can see here work here
