This self-portrait by the German-Jewish artist Max Liebermann was painted in 1927 when the artist was in his eighties. A leading figure in German Impressionism, he was also one of the founders of the Berlin Secession in 1889, of which he was also the first President. In this late work Liebermann did not employ the vivid colour palette usually associated with the work of the Impressionists. Instead, his use of earthy colours testifies to the influence of the French Barbizon school during the 1870s. Portraiture remained an integral part of Liebermann's repertoire. The majority of his portraits represent the sitters seated and in a three-quarter-length pose. Here, his decision to adopt a bust-length pose allows him to engage more directly with the viewer.