Portrait of an Old Man (Johann Harms)

b. 1890, Tulln, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Austria)d. 1918, Vienna

Portrait of an Old Man (Johann Harms), 1916

Oil with wax and charcoal on canvas

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Partial gift, Dr. and Mrs. Otto Kallir 69.1884

Egon Schiele developed his own unique style in both drawing and painting, marked by nervous linework and vigorous execution that conveys a palpable sense of angst. In 1915, he married his neighbor Edith Harms and entered a period of domestic intimacy. Around the same time, he began to garner greater artistic success and turned toward increasingly naturalistic portraiture, as seen in this likeness of his father-in-law, Johann Harms.

Rather than produce an idealized representation, Schiele evidenced Harms's age and weariness. The artist often exaggerated body parts, and here elongated his sitter's frame, accentuating Harms's thin wrists and his large, expressive hands. Schiele employed a subdued palette and situated the figure against a neutral backdrop, allowing the dark ground to set off and harmonize with the soft tonalities of Harms's clothing and the raw hues of his weathered skin. This image's quiet dignity and somber monumentality express Schiele's deference toward Harms.