Selbstbildnis im Strohhut, als Brustbild (Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat, Bust Length)

Corinth employed drypoint to create dense, scratchy lines that exploit the paper’s texture, leaving visible grain between strokes. The jacket’s form is suggested with loose, uneven marks rather than defined contours. The hat’s flat crown and rough edges imply speed and physicality in execution. Unlike polished engravings, this work embraces imperfection—lines falter, overlap, and thin out, mirroring the tactile urgency of his post-stroke style, which favored expressive energy over precision.

Created in 1913, the print emerged during Corinth’s tenure as president of the Berlin Secession, a position he assumed after years of engagement with avant-garde circles in Paris and Munich. His artistic evolution accelerated after his 1911 stroke, which loosened his formal discipline and deepened his emotional expressiveness. This drypoint is part of a broader body of self-portraits from this period, reflecting both personal resilience and a redefined artistic voice within German modernism.

Corinth’s work in the early 1910s intersected with broader shifts in German art, where traditional representation gave way to more subjective modes. His integration of Impressionist light and Expressionist vigor aligned him with contemporaries exploring inner experience through form. The choice of printmaking—often associated with intimacy and repetition—allowed him to test ideas quickly. This self-portrait stands as a quiet counterpoint to the monumental canvases of his peers.

The print exemplifies Corinth’s late style: raw, immediate, and emotionally resonant. It influenced later generations of German artists who valued authenticity over polish. While less celebrated than his oil paintings, this drypoint remains a key document of his personal and artistic transformation after illness. Its unvarnished quality continues to offer insight into the artist’s evolving relationship with self-representation in modern printmaking.