Fragment of a Self-Portrait 1908

Richard Gerstl made this oil painting, Fragment of a Self-Portrait, in shades of grey, which feel melancholic, maybe even tempestuous. Look closely, and you can feel the energy he poured into it. Imagine Gerstl standing before the canvas, brush in hand, wrestling with his own image. It must have been intense. The paint is applied with such visible, raw strokes, it's like he's carving his feelings directly onto the canvas. The way he models his face and torso, the thick layering of paint, it’s as if he's trying to capture not just what he looks like, but also who he is. There's a kinship between Gerstl and other expressionist painters like Kokoschka or Schiele. All trying to dig deep, grappling with questions of identity and existence through their art. Painting, after all, is a conversation across time, with artists speaking to each other through their work. A self-portrait like this becomes a mirror not just for the artist, but for us too.