hi there, egon schiele used watercolour and gouache on different similie japanese papers / fake vellums & brown wrapping paper. did he size this wrapping paper to hold the paint or was the paper made in 1910 heavily sized to avoid seepage? either way is there a paper out there today that is similar to the paper he used? it is hard to find tinted papers for this medium. i have tried sizing my own papers with rabbit skin glue & gelatine, using coloured washses, kraft legion stonehenge paper and strathmore tan for mixed media (none have the same affect as schiele – his colours stand on the paper – not absorbent). apparently he use strathmore japan paper produced by mohawk fine papers. i have contacted both companies and both have directed me here. i have also contacted dr. jane kallir, the world’s leading egon schiele scholar. i have also tried wetcanvas. does anyone know if his works have been under conservation. can anyone help? thanks
Wow thanks for all of your reponses. It was Dr Kallir who forwarded me to Srathmore and Strathmore who forwarded me to Mohawk. Perhaps I shall reach back out to her but already these comments seem more promising . Please do let me know of any updates, I have been researching this project for months and months and have not found anything concrete as of yet.
We have sent your question to contacts in paper conservation and hopefully they can provide an answer.
According to a 1906 catalog of fine book/printing papers by the Mittineague Paper Company, Strathmore Japan was produced in that company’s mills as a 100% linen, deckle-edged paper with “no trace of chemical or mineral filler”. It was available in natural and white, in plate, medium and antique finishes, in text and cover weights. I believe Mohawk Fine Papers is a modern company, that name having been adopted in 2005 according to Bloomberg’s company overview.
According to Margaret Holbein Ellis, a significant amount of technical information has been handed over to Dr. Jane Kallir so I would locate some of her publications first. We are in the process of trying to contact some of the paper conservators at the Albertina who appear to have devoted a good bit of research regarding his works of art and paper and will re-post should we hear anything more.
Matthew Kinsey, thanks so much for the information. Very cool to know.
Update from paper conservator Kristina Liedtke at the Albertina:
In the Albertina we do have lots of works from Schiele but there was not enough time until now to do research on his drawing techniques.
Tomorrow, there is the opening of an exhibition at the Museum Belvedere in Vienna ( https://www.belvedere.at/Ausstellung_Egon_Schiele).
Therefore the conservators will start research on the drawing techniques and the used material (probably not only paintings but art on paper as well).
Latest Post: How can I prevent plywood surface checking from damaging paint layer–will paper or sheer fabric work? Our newest member: amanda333 Recent Posts Unread Posts
