Artwork

Zwei Männliche Studienköpfe—Selbstbildnisse (Sketch of Two Male Heads—Self-Portraits)

Lovis Corinth , 1915

Zwei Männliche Studienköpfe—Selbstbildnisse (Sketch of Two Male Heads—Self-Portraits) is an ink print by Lovis Corinth. It dates from 1915 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1915, this drypoint print by German artist Lovis Corinth presents a study of two male heads positioned opposite one another. Executed in black on wove paper, the image is signed by the artist and retains the immediacy of a sketch, emphasizing gesture over finish.

Subject & Meaning

The composition features two figures whose faces are close, one bald with a faint smile, the other moustached and gazing downward. Their hands rest lightly on each other’s shoulders, suggesting a moment of informal interaction or mutual observation rather than a formal portrait.

Technique & Style

Corinth employed drypoint, incising lines directly into the paper’s surface, which yields the characteristic soft, velvety edges and a textured background. The lines are swift and unrefined, reflecting the looser, more expressive approach he adopted after his 1911 stroke, merging impressionistic fluidity with expressionist vigor.

History & Provenance

Trained in Paris and Munich, Corinth later headed the Berlin Secession, guiding its shift from naturalism toward a hybrid of impressionism and expressionism. This print, produced during the later phase of his career, exemplifies the artist’s post‑stroke aesthetic and remains documented as part of his printmaking output.

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Artist & collection

Artist

Lovis Corinth

Lovis Corinth was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism.

Museum

National Gallery of Art

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