The Dreaming Boys - Oskar Kokoschka
Archival giclée
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Description
A striking 1908 lithograph by Oskar Kokoschka, featuring elongated figures and symbolic imagery from his early Expressionist period.
The Dreaming Boys, or Die träumenden Knaben, is a seminal work from the early career of Oskar Kokoschka. Originally conceived as a children's book, the project was commissioned by the Wiener Werkstätte and published in 1908. This specific image reflects the artist's transition from the decorative influence of the Vienna Secession toward the raw, psychological intensity that would define his later Expressionist output.
The composition features two elongated, slender figures positioned within a stylised, dreamlike environment. Kokoschka employs a flattened perspective, where the figures and the surrounding flora exist on a single plane. The use of bold, dark outlines defines the forms, while the colour palette remains restricted to earthy tones, muted greens, and a striking, saturated orange that bisects the scene. Two golden birds hover in the central space, adding a sense of mythic narrative to the otherwise quiet, introspective atmosphere.
Kokoschka's approach to the human form here is notable for its vulnerability. The figures appear fragile, their anatomy simplified and slightly distorted to convey a sense of adolescent awakening and internal reflection. The surrounding environment, filled with schematic trees and small, rounded hills, functions less as a realistic setting and more as a symbolic space for the figures' internal states. This work captures a moment of transition in early twentieth-century Austrian art, where the rigid structure of the Secessionist style began to yield to the subjective, emotional concerns of the Expressionist movement. It remains a significant example of Kokoschka's early graphic work, demonstrating his ability to combine literary themes with a distinct, personal visual language.
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Manufacturing
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.
Care and materials
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
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
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 Dreaming Boys - 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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