Artwork
Self-portrait
Self-portrait is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. It dates from 1828 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts its own creator, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, presenting an autobiographical image in which the artist is simultaneously maker and subject.
The painting depicts its own creator, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, presenting an autobiographical image in which the artist is simultaneously maker and subject. As a self-portrait, the work belongs to a tradition in which painters used their own likeness to assert professional identity and creative self-awareness.
The canvas is held by the Belvedere in Vienna, an institution associated with Austrian Biedermeier art, situating the image within the cultural context in which Waldmüller worked. Painted in oil on canvas and dated 1828, the self-portrait functions both as a personal statement and as a representative document of the artist's standing within that Viennese milieu.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on canvas, executed in the conventional manner of early 19th‑century portraiture. The artist applies thin layers of pigment to build subtle tonal transitions in the flesh, while the brushwork remains relatively smooth and controlled, preserving a polished surface. The composition centers the sitter, with a direct gaze that emphasizes psychological presence.
The handling of light and shadow follows academic conventions of the period, delineating three‑dimensional form without dramatic chiaroscuro.
History & Provenance
The work was painted in 1828 by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller as a self-portrait in oil on canvas measuring 95 × 75 cm.
It entered the collection of the Belvedere as part of the holdings of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains located.
The work is held by the Belvedere in Vienna. It is inventoried as “Inv.-Nr. 4773” in the Belvedere’s holdings. The painting was included in the exhibition “Waldmüller: Meister der Empfindsamkeit” held at the Belvedere from 14 March to 14 June 2020.
Overview
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller's Self-portrait is an oil painting created in 1828. It is a representation of the artist himself.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller was an Austrian painter. Waldmüller was one of the most important Austrian painters of the Biedermeier period.
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