Self-Portrait 1947

This self-portrait was drawn by Ilka Gedo, we don’t know exactly when, probably using ink on paper. Look at the hatching, the way the lines build up the form of her face and hat, like a dense thicket. This is artmaking as a process of layering, a slow accumulation of marks. The physicality of the medium is all here on the surface: you can see the nervous energy in the scratchy lines, like she's trying to capture not just her appearance, but something deeper, something about her inner state. Notice the way the ink is applied, sometimes thick and dark, sometimes thin and wispy. There is an area of shadow cast by the brim of her hat, these marks feel particularly loaded, contributing to the overall sense of melancholy. You might see echoes of Käthe Kollwitz in the raw intensity of the mark-making, that same commitment to expressing the truth of human experience without flinching. Ultimately, art is an ongoing conversation, full of ambiguity and multiple interpretations, where each artist adds their own voice to the chorus.