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

Cor van Teeseling made this self-portrait with a pencil on paper on February 24th. It’s all lines, see, no shading. Like a map of a face, just the contours. It makes me think of making art as a way of trying to understand something. Look closely, the quality of the line is pretty consistent. No nervous feathering or laborious redrawing. Instead there’s this calm confidence. A kind of even, all-over attention. The face, the hair, the collar, are all treated with the same care. This suggests to me a quiet determination to see the world as it is. Or to see himself as he is, right now. There's something about the simplicity of the line that reminds me of Matisse's drawings. That same quest for essential form. Of course, both artists share an interest in clarity, but van Teeseling feels a bit more vulnerable, more open. It’s like he is willing to show us not just the skill, but the searching too. Like we are invited to watch the process.