Josip Germ, Self-Portrait, 1893

The painter Josip Germ (1869-1950) is one of the prominent representatives of academic realism at the turn of the 19th century, which is distinguished by precise drawing and rich colours.

Certainly, the most witnessing and confessional work of Germ’s Viennese period is his youthfully exalted Self-Portrait from 1893, which is kept by the Dolenjska Museum. The painter stood in front of the viewer in a three-quarter turn, staring straight at him. Only the painter’s face and hands, in which he holds a palette and a brush, stand out from the dark background in the warm light. On his face he wanted to reveal every detail, every shadow, to the smallest detail, nothing escaped his sharp gaze of a meticulous draftsman with a developed ear for the plasticity of forms.

This time you can see Germ’s Self-Portrait and many other works in the Miha Maleš Gallery in Kamnik.

Curator Katarina Dajčman, from the catalogue Josip Germ (1869-1950), Dolenjska Museum Novo mesto.