The Sleepers - Oskar Kokoschka
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Description
A 1909 lithograph by Oskar Kokoschka, featuring stylized figures and natural motifs rendered in a bold, graphic, and ornamental style.
Produced in 1909, The Sleepers represents an early phase in the career of the Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka. This work displays the stylistic influence of the Vienna Secession, particularly the decorative linearity associated with Gustav Klimt, yet it introduces the psychological tension that would define Kokoschka's later output. The composition is divided into distinct zones, creating a flattened, almost medieval narrative space where figures and natural elements coexist without traditional perspective.
The central figures are depicted in a state of repose, their forms simplified into bold, graphic shapes. Surrounding them are various motifs, including stylized flora, small animals, and secondary figures that appear to inhabit a dreamlike or mythological realm. The use of a restricted, high-contrast palette—predominantly yellow, red, and green—serves to unify the disparate elements of the scene. The heavy, deliberate outlines define each form, ensuring that the image maintains a graphic quality consistent with the printmaking techniques of the period.
Kokoschka was associated with the avant-garde circles of Vienna, and this piece reflects the period's interest in symbolic imagery and the exploration of the subconscious. Unlike the more naturalistic depictions of the era, this work prioritises a rhythmic, ornamental arrangement of space. The inclusion of the artist's initials, OK, in the lower right corner confirms his authorship of this graphic design. The work functions as a visual poem, inviting the viewer to interpret the relationships between the sleeping figures and the surrounding environment. It remains a clear example of the transition from the decorative aesthetics of the turn of the century towards the more raw, emotive visual language of European Expressionism.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
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- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
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- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Sleepers - Oskar Kokoschka
Artist Biography
Oskar Kokoschka
He was born in 1886 in Pochlarn, Austria. He was shot through the head in Ukraine and bayoneted in the chest in Russia. He survived both.
After the war, he commissioned a Munich dollmaker named Hermine Moos to create a life-size replica of Alma, sending detailed instructions about the feel of her skin and the weight of her body. Moos covered the figure in feathers instead. Kokoschka eventually staged a public execution: he decapitated the doll and smashed a bottle of wine over its head on his lawn. The police arrived the next morning, thinking he had murdered a woman.
The Nazis declared him a degenerate artist. He fled Czechoslovakia for London after the Munich Agreement and became a British citizen in 1947. His Expressionist portraits are among the most psychologically penetrating of the twentieth century: raw, agitated surfaces that seem to expose the sitter's interior state. He lived to ninety-four.
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