Zelfportret 1913 - 1945

This self-portrait by Henk Henriët, made with pencil on paper, shows the artist staring right back at us. Just imagine him in his studio, looking in the mirror, graphite in hand. It feels like he’s searching, both observing himself and trying to understand something deeper. I see the sensitivity in the hatching marks around his eyes, that suggest the weight of looking, of seeing. The subtle shading conveys not just form but feeling. You can almost sense the texture of the paper, the pressure of the pencil, the artist's breath. There's a vulnerability in the direct gaze, a kind of quiet intensity that reminds me of other artists who've used self-portraiture as a means of self-inquiry, like Van Gogh or Käthe Kollwitz. Henriet is in conversation with them, with us, across time. And each mark holds the possibility of meaning, open for us to discover.