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Selbstbildnis im Garten (A Self-Portrait in the Garden at Godramstein)
Selbstbildnis im Garten (A Self-Portrait in the Garden at Godramstein)
Image © Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved.

Selbstbildnis im Garten (A Self-Portrait in the Garden at Godramstein)

Artist (German, 1868–1932)
Date1910
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 101 × 80 cm (39 3/4 × 31 1/2 in.)
framed (no buildout): 133.4 × 113 × 8.9 cm (52 1/2 × 44 1/2 × 3 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineStoddard Acquisition Fund
Object number2018.33
Label TextMax Slevogt was a highly successful artist in Berlin when he depicted himself here, at the age of 41, in the garden of his in-laws’ estate, 400 miles west of the German capital. His combination of portraiture and landscape in a single painting reflects his fame in both domains. Like his Impressionist counterparts in France, Slevogt imitates the blurring effects of long-exposure photography (the smoke of his cigar, the foliage in the background), and captures the flickering play of light. Otherwise his approach differs considerably from the French Impressionists. His work has a sculptural quality where his French counterparts present their subject through a veil of unified color. The French masters achieve visual vibrancy through complementary color values and different hues of the same tone, while Slevogt relies on virtuoso brushwork, often accentuated by thickly built-up paint—quite unlike the systematic brushstrokes of the French. ProvenanceAcquired directly from the artist by Dr. Carl Steinbart, Berlin By descent from the above to Dora Stach, Amsterdam Thence by descent, until 2015
On View
Not on view
Self-Portrait
Thomas Smith
about 1680
Self Portrait
Francisco Corzas
1967
Garden Scene
French
First half of 19th century
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about 1650
Christ in the Garden
Octave Tassaert
1844
In a Garden
Russell Cheney
1940–1945
Portrait of a man
Anthonie Palamedsz.
1652
Portrait of a Musician
Giulio Campi
1552–1572
Portrait of a Bearded Man
Paolo Farinati
16th century