Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait) from Deutsche Graphiker der Gegenwart (German Printmakers of Our Time)

Corinth presents himself in a moment of artistic transition, the informal rendering suggesting both self‑reflection and a willingness to experiment. The obscured facial features and the casual hat convey a sense of anonymity, while the rawness of the marks hints at the artist’s inner turbulence following his 1911 stroke, a period marked by heightened emotional expression.

Executed as a lithograph, the piece employs a freehand approach that departs from the precise, controlled lines typical of earlier prints. The uneven strokes and scribbled texture create a dynamic surface, reflecting Corinth’s shift toward a more expressive, gestural style that merged impressionistic lightness with expressionist intensity.

The lithograph was included in a bound anthology that gathered fifteen lithographs, eight woodcuts, eight photomechanical reproductions, and a drypoint, representing contemporary German printmakers. The volume served as a survey of the period’s graphic arts, situating Corinth’s work among his peers and documenting his contribution to early‑20th‑century printmaking.

Created shortly after World War I, the portrait emerges from a German art scene grappling with modernity and the aftermath of conflict. Corinth, who had been active in the Berlin Secession and later led the group, was navigating the tension between traditional techniques and the avant‑garde impulses that defined the era’s visual culture.