Beyeler: quote
Animation for an art exhibition
Date : october 2023
Services : Motion design
This project combined art history and motion design, training me to create engaging visuals for social media. I animated a famous quote by the expressionist painter Egon Schiele to promote an upcoming exhibition.
The chosen quote, “The erotic piece of art is sacred too,” encapsulates Schiele’s provocative style. I selected one of his works to analyze and illustrate within my project. An excerpt from my analysis is included at the end of this entry.
The color palette matches the watercolor tones.
« The warm tones of the work highlight its erotic nature. Brown evokes the comfort and protection of a loving relationship, while red unleashes passion and carnality. This same red appears in the pubic area of one of the subjects, drawing the viewer into the couple’s intimacy without feeling intrusive. The aerial perspective suggests an external viewpoint, reinforcing a sense of observation rather than participation.
The two women appear unbothered, fully immersed in the moment. A gentle touch of tenderness is conveyed through the posture of the woman at the top: her head resting against her hand, one side of her face protected by her palm. The almost symmetrical composition visually merges the two figures, symbolizing the bond created by their love.
This depiction presents them as any other couple, a striking statement in a time when homosexuality was still widely regarded as a mental illness. In the early 20th century, however, many artists began to explore and illustrate themes of non-heteronormative sexuality. Egon Schiele’s work, including Zwei Mädchen, undoubtedly contributed to a broader acceptance of homosexuality and, by extension, the LGBT community.
“Zwei Mädchen” reflects humanity’s fascination with emotions—our own as well as those of others. In my view, this piece is essential to understanding the meaning behind the initial quotation. »
