Self-Portrait

This self-portrait by the German-Jewish artist Max Liebermann was painted in 1927 when the artist was in his eighties. Portraiture was an integral part of Liebermann's repertoire, however in this late work he relinquished the vivid colour palette usually associated with the work of the Impressionists. Instead, his use of earthy colours testifies to the influence of the French Barbizon School during the 1870s. The majority of his portraits represent seated sitters in a three-quarter-length pose, but here his decision to adopt a bust-length pose allows him to engage more directly with the viewer.