Self-Portrait in a Blue Jacket, 1927

Wearing a blue jacket and a hat, the painter Anton Kolig (1886–1950) shows himself well-fed, self-confident and energetic in this self-portrait. He is 41 years old and has been living in the Carinthian village of Nötsch ever since the end of World War I in 1918. His upper body is slightly bent backwards, his chest and belly are partially exposed. His gesticulating arms, intense eye contact and head tilted backwards emphasize the impression of an extroverted posture. He carelessly renders his clothes with vehement, broad brushstrokes, to which the finely drawn face forms a stylistic contrast. The vague background, divided in two halves by its coloration, makes the artist stand out auratically. One year later, in 1928, Kolig and his family moved to Stuttgart, where he had been assigned a teaching position at the Württemberg Academy of Fine Arts.

AK, 2022