Self-portrait in Fur Cap 1918

Curator: Lovis Corinth’s “Self-Portrait in Fur Cap,” currently held in the Harvard Art Museums, presents us with a stark image. Editor: It feels haunted, doesn’t it? Like a glimpse into a troubled mind. The lines are so raw, almost frantic. Curator: Considering Corinth's historical context, and the social upheaval of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that anxiety is palpable. The fur cap, traditionally a symbol of bourgeois comfort, here seems almost like a mask, obscuring rather than revealing. Editor: It's like he's staring right through you, daring you to understand. The etching feels so immediate, like a direct transfer of emotion. Curator: Indeed. And within the narrative of self-representation, Corinth challenges idealized notions of the artist, showing us a vulnerable, perhaps even confrontational, self. Editor: It really sticks with you. A quiet scream on paper. Curator: It underscores how deeply personal art can also be a social commentary. Editor: Yeah, it makes you wonder what he was really thinking, under that fur cap.