Zelfportret: B-1-1, 24 februari Possibly 1942

Cor van Teeseling made this self-portrait, B-1-1, on February 24th, using pencil on paper. It’s kind of an intimate affair, isn’t it? What strikes me about this drawing is the artist's gentle touch. Look at the soft shading around the eyes and the delicate lines defining the hair, each stroke feels tentative, searching. The paper seems almost untouched, retaining its original whiteness, which is crucial to the feeling of lightness. It’s like he’s barely there, existing only in the realm of the sketch. Consider the slightly smudged line along the jaw, it adds a vulnerable quality to the piece. It’s these moments of imperfection that feel so authentic, so human. There is a sense of incompleteness, the lines never quite resolving into a solid form, that speaks to the transient nature of identity itself, a work in progress. Van Teeseling's drawing reminds me a little of Lucian Freud's portraits, with their raw honesty and unflinching gaze. Ultimately, art is a conversation across time, each artist building upon the ideas of those who came before.