Max Liebermann
self-portrait, standing in three-quarter length, both hands in his trouser pockets, 1915
Artist
Max Liebermann
Title
Self-portrait, standing in three-quarter length, both hands in his trouser pockets
Year of creation
1915
Technique and dimensions
oil on cardboard, 75 x 50 cm
Year of acquisition
2014
In 1915, Max Liebermann portrayed himself in one of his numerous self-portraits as a respectable gentleman of the world, in correct clothing and without any reference to his artistic activity. In contrast to the self-portrait with a sports cap at the easel, created in 1925 - so far the only self-portrait (inv. no. A II 466) among the 20 paintings that the National Gallery owns by Liebermann - in which the palette, brush and easel are important attributes of his Self-portrayal, the 68-year-old appears to us here in the casual pose of a dandy.
Only the airy alla prima painting that Liebermann applied to the untreated painting surface with short, dry brush strokes points to the Impressionist's skill. Tiny color accents placed with nonchalance, such as the tie pin marked with a few lines of bright yellow-orange, give life to the representation, which is measured in white, black and brown tones.
However, the portrait is more than an external, spontaneous snapshot. Liebermann also provides an insight into his nature: the critically examining look that so many contemporaries have described, the casual yet perfectly formed posture, the body language that seems private but maintains a certain distance, are documented with incredible freshness, just like a photograph couldn't be done more clearly.
With a raised eyebrow, he directs his gaze at the viewer. The urbane elegance and intellectual sovereignty of the sitter is reminiscent of a 1906 portrait of the museum director and art patron Harry Graf Kessler by Edward Munch, to which Liebermann reacted violently from the 1890s onwards (Nationalgalerie, inv. no. B 50). We look forward to being able to show both pictures together in an exhibition soon.
Kyllikki Zechariah
