Zelfportret, april 1942 1942 - 1944

Cor van Teeseling made this self-portrait in April 1942 with graphite on paper. You can almost feel the soft give of the pencil, making marks, building up the image. I look at this drawing and think about Cor, only 26 when he made it, taking a long look at himself in the mirror. What was going through his mind? It's a delicate drawing, with thin, precise lines. The shading around the eyes gives them such depth, hinting at both a tenderness and sadness. The way he captures the light on his face is amazing. I can see him squinting slightly as he works, really trying to understand the structure of his own face, trying to grasp something about himself. The hand moving back and forth, a conversation happening between the artist, the tool, and the self. It reminds me of Lucian Freud's portraits, that same intensity and scrutiny. This work speaks of that human desire to capture something essential, something real, even if it’s fleeting, even if it's just a shadow of the truth.