Selbstbildnis

Willy Jaeckel’s self-portrait depicts him in the middle of a chaotic landscape. In the background, dark shadows loom, and a craggy mountain range topped with white vortices can be made out, but also bright breaking light. Like a scattered sign of hope, a rainbow appears on the left edge of the picture. The artist’s face seems strangely composed, as if he has already weathered the storm.

His quiet gaze becomes a counterpole to the dramatic background—while the deep lines on Jaeckel’s brow transform it into a symbol of danger overcome. In 1918 the Expressionist painter returned from World War I. The material battles on the western front had left a deep impression on the thirty-year-old. In this self-portrait he settles accounts with his war experiences, allowing the apocalyptic landscape of his memory to come alive once again.