Self-portrait at Walchensee 1922

Lovis Corinth's self-portrait feels like it was sculpted out of paint, layer upon layer, each stroke building up this image, a face emerging from the canvas. I can imagine Corinth standing before the mirror, wrestling with his own image. Did he feel like he was getting it right? Or was it a constant battle between what he saw and what he felt? Look at the thick daubs of color, the pinks and browns mixing with blues and greens, all swirling around his face, creating a sense of movement and energy. It’s like he’s not just painting a portrait, but capturing a moment, a mood. That one diagonal swipe of brown across his cheek, for example, could be a shadow, a scar, or just a way of saying, "I'm here, I'm present, I'm wrestling with this thing called painting." And, of course, this work exists in a world of other paintings, too. It's a conversation with Rembrandt and Van Gogh, with all the artists who have dared to look at themselves and put what they found onto canvas. It's like they're all talking to each other across time, inspiring and challenging each other. It's this process of exchange and discovery that makes painting so exciting.