Selvportræt 1947

Axel Hou made this self-portrait etching sometime around 1947. Hou's direct gaze and detailed rendering invite us into an intimate encounter with the artist. The choice of etching, a printmaking technique, speaks to the democratization of art in the 20th century, allowing for wider distribution and accessibility. Born in Denmark during a period of significant social and political change, Hou's artistic practice was inevitably shaped by the cultural landscape of his time. Was he part of an artistic movement? Did the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts influence his education? Was he a member of a printmaking society? We might ask how the economic conditions of the post-war era affected the market for art in Denmark. Was he concerned with the changing role of the artist in society? Art historians delve into archives, exhibition records, and period publications to reconstruct the world in which an artwork was made, because only then can we understand its meaning.