Artwork
Selbstbildnis 1919 (Self-Portrait 1919)
Selbstbildnis 1919 (Self-Portrait 1919) is an ink print by Lovis Corinth. It dates from 1919 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left in graphite: Lovis Corinth
About this work
The hands rest on a table, holding what looks like a piece of paper or a small book.
This sketch shows a person’s head and shoulders turned slightly away. The face is blurred, with rough lines for the hair and clothes. The hands rest on a table, holding what looks like a piece of paper or a small book.
The artist signed it in the corner, but the face is hard to read on purpose. This was made in 1919 using a printing method that presses ink onto stone.
Next, check out lithography to see how this kind of drawing works.
Overview
Selbstbildnis 1919 is a lithograph self-portrait by Lovis Corinth, created in 1919. Executed in black ink, the print depicts the artist's head and shoulders in a slightly averted pose, with blurred facial features, roughly defined hair and clothing, and hands resting on a table holding a paper or small book.
Subject & Meaning
As a self-portrait, the work belongs to Corinth's broader exploration of portraiture. The intentional blurring of the face and loose rendering may reflect the artist's post-stroke stylistic evolution, prioritizing expressive qualities over realism.
Technique & Style
The lithograph showcases Corinth's synthesis of impressionist and expressionist tendencies, albeit in a monochromatic palette here. The loose, expressive lines and blurred forms exemplify the more spontaneous and dynamic approach characteristic of his work after 1911.
History & Provenance
Created in 1919, following Corinth's leadership of the Berlin Secession and his transformative stroke in 1911, the self-portrait demonstrates the artist's adaptation to new stylistic expressions in his later career.
Context
Technically, Selbstbildnis 1919 utilizes lithography, a printmaking method involving drawing on stone with ink, which allowed for the expressive, hand-drawn quality evident in the piece.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Lovis Corinth (21 July 1858 – 17 July 1925) was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism.
- Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait)
Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait)
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