Portret van Pieter Jelles Troelstra 1926

Jacques Ottens made this portrait of Pieter Jelles Troelstra using woodcut; a medium that demands bold decisions. The stark black and white gives it a real graphic punch, doesn't it? What strikes me is the texture Ottens coaxes from the wood. Look at the way he uses parallel lines to create shadows on Troelstra’s face and in the background. It’s almost like he’s carving out the form, letting the material speak. And see how the rigid lines contrast with the softer, more organic shapes of the face? The eyes, especially, have this intensity, a piercing gaze achieved with just a few well-placed cuts. It's as if the artist is not just depicting a face, but trying to capture something of the man’s spirit, his inner life. I love how this reminds me of the work of Félix Vallotton, another master of the woodcut, who used the same kind of stark contrasts to create these psychologically charged portraits. Ultimately, it reminds us that art is about seeing, feeling, and making marks that resonate.