Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884 Rottluff bei Chemnitz - 1976 Berlin). Selbstbildnis. 1965 Brush and India ink drawing , colour chalk and watercolours washed in grey. Signed right margin. Dated on verso by a hand other than that of the artist. On laid paper. 54,2 x 39,2 cm (21,3 x 15,4 in), the full sheet. Provenienz: Private collection South Germany. Karl Schmidt-Rottluff's powers of making the creative statement that would inform both the content and form of his life's work remained undiminished even in old age. Many artists are concerned with plumbing their own ego, a thrust that has led - think of Rembrandt or van Gogh - to the supreme achievements in painting in the modern era. Karl Schmidt-Rottluff looks at himself frontally, critically and without any attempts at retouching defects. The composition is dominated by the vivid freshness of the brushwork. Schmidt-Rottluff has shown a rather sober assessment of himself. Without histrionics, awareness of old age as a state of knowledge with experience replacing a desire for experimentation has been captured. Consciously deploying his means, Schmidt-Rottluff has here combined an unusual blend of techniques drawn from various sources to united them in a compelling aesthetic whole. [KD]. Colours in very good and fresh condition.