Selbstbildnis Mit Schnurrbart 1920

Lovis Corinth made this self-portrait with watercolors in 1920, and you can see the washes moving on the paper, how he let the water do some of the work for him. It’s all about letting go a bit, isn’t it? The way the colors blend and bleed into each other gives it a sense of immediacy, like he was trying to capture a fleeting impression. Look how the brown spreads from the mustache upwards, creating this halo effect around his face. It’s kind of funny and kind of intense at the same time. There’s a vulnerability in those eyes, but also a sense of defiance. It reminds me a little bit of some of the late self-portraits by Beckmann, that same raw honesty and psychological depth. It’s like they’re both saying, "Here I am, take it or leave it."