Self-portrait 1915

Editor: This is Walter Gramatté's Self-portrait. It's a small etching, and there's a haunting quality to it. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Consider the historical context, Walter Gramatté lived through immense social upheaval. This self-portrait, though small, speaks volumes about the artist’s internal state during a period of great societal instability. How do you think his identity as an artist might have been challenged during this time? Editor: I hadn't thought about the challenges to his identity. Maybe he questioned his purpose. Curator: Exactly! The fragility of the lines, the incompleteness—they echo the fractured sense of self experienced by many during times of political and social unrest. It invites us to consider the relationship between personal identity and collective trauma. Editor: I never would have thought about it that way. It gives the work so much more depth.