Self-Portrait 1939

Hans Alexander Mueller created this self-portrait in 1939, using what looks like woodcut techniques. It’s all about contrasts, isn’t it? Bold blacks against stark whites, creating this dramatic chiaroscuro effect. You can almost feel the artist wrestling with light and shadow, carving out his own image bit by bit. The texture is everything here. You can see the grain of the wood, each line carefully etched, giving the whole piece a tactile quality. Look at the way he renders his hair, those deliberate strokes building up volume and form. Then, there's the hand holding a cigarette, a small gesture but so telling, so human. The smoke seems to disappear into the darkness, a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life, perhaps? This reminds me a little of Käthe Kollwitz, in the way she used printmaking to capture raw emotion and social realities. Both artists share this commitment to using simple means to convey complex ideas. In the end, it's all about leaving space for interpretation, letting the viewer fill in the gaps.