10 Times When Egon Schiele Mastered Hip Hop Hand Gestures

Art is a serious thing. But sometimes, some associations, once they pop up in your head, just can’t disappear. I didn’t find any scientific evidence for it, but when you look at Egon Schiele’s portraits and self-portraits, it seems he had some kind of hand fetish.

It is a recurring theme in the portraits of Egon Schiele. The subject’s fingers are painted or drawn long in all kinds of open, twisted, and strange symbolic gestures. Schiele’s hands and fingers are dislocated and unnatural. Often, they are larger than the natural ones. Every knuckle and every joint is exaggerated and carefully articulated.

You probably know this gesture:

In hip-hop culture, this “W” signifies alliance with the West Coast, in contradiction to the East Coast hip-hop scene.

Here are 10 times when Egon Schiele painted, drew or posed in a photograph with this or similar gesture.

1. Self-Portrait as St. Sebastian

2. The Poet (Self-Portrait)

3. Mime van Osen

4. Self-Portrait with Peacock Waistcoat

5. Self-Portrait with Lowered Head

6. Self-Portrait with Folded Hands

7. Gustav Klimt

8. The Hand

9. Photographic Self-Portrait with Eyes Closed

10. Another Photographic Portrait