Self-portrait with Cigarette

"Self-Portrait with Cigarette" is an evocative self-portrait by German Expressionist artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, created in 1915 during World War I. The oil-on-canvas work measures 69 cm by 61 cm and vividly captures Kirchner's turbulent mental state and physical dislocation after his military discharge. The painting’s bold, distorted style and symbolic elements reflect the chaos and socio-political instability of Germany at the time. Exhibited initially in Germany, it now resides at the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Ohio. The artwork functions as both a personal testimony and a critique of wartime uncertainty.