Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait) 1921 - 1922

This self-portrait by Lovis Corinth is a print, so made by pressing an inked plate onto paper. Look how the lines describe the face, a tangle of marks, almost scribbled, that miraculously form a recognizable image. It’s like he’s drawing with acid, biting into the metal to create this dense, velvety texture. What I love about prints is the directness – you see the artist's hand so clearly. In this one, the face emerges from a haze of lines, the eyes dark pools, the moustache a thick smudge. The whole thing feels raw, immediate, like a quick sketch dashed off in a moment of self-reflection. It's all about the surface, the way the ink sits on the paper, the subtle variations in tone. Think of someone like Käthe Kollwitz, another German artist who was able to do so much with so little. Both Corinth and Kollwitz, in their own ways, remind us that art isn't about perfection, it’s about process, about capturing a feeling, an idea, in a way that's both messy and beautiful.