Portrait of Paris von Gütersloh

The Portrait of Paris von Gütersloh by Egon Schiele, created in 1918, captures the likeness of the influential Austrian author and actor, Paris von Gütersloh (born Albert Conrad Kiefer). This powerful work is executed as a lithograph, a planographic printmaking technique that allowed Schiele to achieve the dense, fluid lines and textures characteristic of his late graphic output.

Completed during the final year of Schiele’s short life, the piece demonstrates the artist’s mature mastery of Austrian Expressionism. Schiele renders the sitter with characteristic psychological intensity, using economical lines to emphasize the subject’s angular gaze and posture. Unlike the artist’s earlier, often tortured self-portraits, this specialized study of another man shows a more restrained, yet deeply searching, approach to formal portraiture. The men portrayed in Schiele's works during this era often possess a profound inner tension, reflecting the volatile emotional and cultural climate of Vienna immediately following World War I.

This particular work is held within the esteemed collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a crucial moment in the history of Modern European prints. The intense visual language employed by Schiele cemented his legacy as a central figure in early 20th-century art. The original edition of these fine art prints remains highly sought after by collectors. Today, historical graphic works like this benefit from increasing accessibility; high-resolution copies of the image are often made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring that Schiele’s final creative period is widely studied and appreciated.