Portrait of Johann Harms
Oil with wax on canvas, 141 x 110.8 cm, by Egon Schiele, 1916
Guggenheim Museum, New York

Johann Harms was Schiele's father-in-law. Through this painting, Schiele expresses compassion for the 73-year-old retired machinist from the Austrian railway. Despite being a familial representation, the painting communicates a solemn and monumental atmosphere. The artwork possesses a dignified quality that surpasses its immediate subject, drawing parallels to the style seen in papal portraits created by artists like Raphael or Titian. This piece is recognised as the inaugural work in a series of 'painterly portraits', distinguishing itself from Schiele's earlier creations, which were characterised by a more graphic style.