Self-Portrait

The most significant portrait by a Dutch master in the collection of the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe is Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn's (1606-1669) "Self-Portrait" (C. 1650). More than 50 self-portraits by the artist remain, and among them, this painting, which was acquired by Margravine Caroline Louise for her " painting room" in 1751, is one of the most psychologically distinctive.

The artist painted himself as a nearly life-sized half-figure within an oval. His upper body faces slightly to the side, towards the easel, and his face is turned to the viewer. He regards us - and himself, since the self-portrait was created before a mirror - with a melancholy, searching, vulnerable, and thoughtful expression. Soft, almost flaccid features are apparent. Deep in thought, the master, who was in his mid-forties at the time of this work, wrinkles his forehead. His face seems illuminated, stand- ing out in contrast to the brown of his beret, hair, and the fluffy collar that projects from his red cloak.

It is the image of a sensitive, self critical, exemplary individual, marked by set-backs and grief. Far removed from any thought of self-confident representation and stylisation, the artist is engaged in a serious and unpretentious piece of existential self-examination.