Porträt Anton

Painted on cardboard in 1880, this work belongs to the period when Corinth was preparing for entry to formal academic training, making studies in Königsberg and possibly already attending preliminary classes in nearby centers. Small-format cardboard works from this period often represent the self-directed practice of a young artist building technical confidence before the structured demands of an academy program. The year 1880 falls between Corinth's earliest known works of 1879 and his enrollment at the Königsberg Academy (1876) and subsequent Munich move (1880). These transitional works chart his development from provincial beginner to formally trained student.

Cardboard from around 1880 used by a young artist would likely be a commercially available drawing board or illustration board repurposed for oil sketching. The surface absorbs oil more actively than primed canvas, tending to produce a leaner, more matte result and requiring slightly different paint consistency. Corinth's marks at this stage would have been relatively careful and observational.