Onvoltooid zelfportret: B-1-1, 13 februari Possibly 1942

Cor van Teeseling made this self-portrait with pencil on paper on February 13th. There’s a quiet mood to this piece. Looking at his unfinished face, I imagine van Teeseling hunched over the paper, gently coaxing the features into being, line by line. It’s so tenderly rendered, particularly around the eyes, like he’s searching for something in his own reflection. The light touch and pale coloration give it the feel of something ephemeral, something half-remembered or about to fade. It reminds me of other unfinished drawings I've seen in artist's studios, where the real work is not the final piece, but the attempt. It’s as if he’s caught between presence and absence, grappling with his own identity in the fleeting moment. This piece becomes a portal through which artists—and viewers—can connect across time. We see a fleeting encounter between an artist and their own image. It is like catching a feeling, or a thought, just before it disappears.