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

Liebermann employed lithography to achieve a fluid, sketch-like quality, using the stone’s surface to translate the spontaneity of drawing into print. The lines are loose and economical, avoiding heavy shading or detail, which gives the image a sense of immediacy. The tonal range is restrained, relying on contrast between the dark hat and the pale, shadowed face to define form. This approach reflects his Impressionist sensibility, prioritizing perception over precision.

Created in 1917, the lithograph was produced for a limited-edition portfolio commissioned by a group of German art publishers to document contemporary printmaking. Liebermann, then in his seventies and a central figure in Berlin’s art world, contributed alongside peers such as Max Slevogt and Lovis Corinth. The portfolio was distributed to institutions and collectors, preserving a snapshot of German graphic art during the First World War.

At the time of its creation, Liebermann was president of the Prussian Academy of Arts and a prominent advocate for modern art, despite rising nationalist sentiment. His inclusion in the portfolio affirmed his status among peers, even as his Jewish heritage and cosmopolitan tastes placed him at odds with emerging cultural ideologies. The portfolio itself served as a quiet assertion of artistic continuity amid political fragmentation.

The self-portrait endures as a modest yet significant record of Liebermann’s later years, capturing his artistic integrity through restraint. Though not widely exhibited as a standalone work, its presence in the portfolio helped define a generation of German printmakers who valued personal expression over grand narrative. Today, it remains a key example of how lithography could convey psychological depth with minimal means.