Fragment of a Self-Portrait 1908

Richard Gerstl made this self-portrait in oil paint, a medium known for its lusciousness, but here, it’s almost austere. Look how the brushstrokes build up the form, like he's sculpting the face and body out of the paint itself. There's this immediacy, a feeling that we're seeing the act of creation, the thought process, laid bare. The palette is constrained, almost monochromatic, yet within that limitation, there's a whole world of subtle shifts in tone. Notice the area around the eyes, how the dark strokes create a sense of depth and introspection. It’s as if Gerstl isn't just painting a likeness, but trying to capture something of the inner self. In terms of direct, emotionally raw self-portraits, you might think of someone like Egon Schiele. Gerstl's work reminds us that art is an ongoing experiment, a space where artists push boundaries and question what it means to be human.