Self-portrait 1927

Curator: This is Jakob Nussbaum’s "Self-portrait," completed in 1927, now residing here at the Städel Museum. It's an oil painting capturing the artist in a moment of what appears to be deep introspection. Editor: Introspection indeed. My immediate sense is a certain quiet intensity. There’s a subdued palette, but those eyes are so piercing, direct, challenging almost. It has a gravity to it. Curator: Expressionism certainly leans into conveying intense feeling. The historical context is key here; this was painted during the Weimar Republic, a period of social and political turbulence. Artists like Nussbaum often used self-portraiture to explore their place in a rapidly changing world, as Jewish Germans witnessing the rising tide of antisemitism. Editor: Yes, that history really contextualizes those piercing eyes. It feels like a confrontation of identity. Look how he positions himself: frontal, almost clinical, but with this vulnerability shimmering underneath the surface. Is it about self-assessment or even defiance in the face of looming persecution? Curator: Art history situates Nussbaum as a prominent member of the Jewish cultural scene in Frankfurt. The direct gaze you’ve noticed isn't merely about capturing likeness, it’s a statement of presence, even resistance against the forces seeking to erase that presence from public life. Editor: Right. His formal attire, that almost bureaucratic black suit and white shirt, feels like he's consciously projecting a specific, perhaps respectable image—playing a part required by society. It speaks volumes about forced assimilation. Curator: I'd agree, there's an element of performance in it, consciously projecting bourgeois stability even as the ground shifts beneath him and those of us who shared a similar cultural heritage. That the Städel has prominently placed this artwork in its Expressionism rooms allows viewers a deeper glimpse into those times, connecting art to life. Editor: Absolutely. Nussbaum, here, transforms personal introspection into a powerfully political statement of his time and beyond. Looking at it today invites necessary dialogue about those past inequities that keep echoing still. Curator: Nussbaum's "Self-portrait" serves as a poignant reminder that we mustn't separate an artwork from the socio-political context from which it arose; and to critically observe, like he did, the public role of art and artists. Editor: I will take with me the way in which his artwork and self representation serves as resistance. This small piece asks us to see art as a form of powerful defiance and reflection.