Self-Portrait
1838
Staring back at us with an intense, almost brooding gaze is the German artist Friedrich Preller the Elder, capturing his own likeness in 1838. With his shoulder-length hair and loosely tied cravat, he perfectly embodies the Romantic ideal of the sensitive, artistic soul—a look that was all the rage in 19th-century bohemian circles. While Preller is best known for his sweeping landscapes and illustrations of the Odyssey, this intimate sketch offers a rare glimpse into the man behind the scenery, frozen in his youth before he became a master of the German Romantic movement.
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