Egon Schiele's Self-Portrait depicts the artist with an animated, cartoon-like expression that seems to convey his feelings of paranoia and persecution at the time. The exaggerated wrinkles and squinting left eye suggest Schiele was attempting to appear older and on guard. While simply titled a self-portrait, the work provides insight into Schiele's mental state and fascination with his own appearance as he produced many self-portraits during this period.