Zelfportret, mei 1942 1942 - 1945

Cor van Teeseling made this self portrait in May 1942, using pencil on paper. There’s a real tenderness in the way he’s worked the pencil, with light, feathery strokes that build up the form gradually. You get the sense of someone really looking, not just seeing. The texture is subtle, almost like a whisper. Notice the way he’s captured the light on his forehead and cheek, using the paper itself as a kind of highlight. The lines are delicate, and there’s a vulnerability in his expression, especially around the eyes. It's almost as if he's looking inward, questioning. It makes you think about what he might have been feeling at that time. This reminds me a bit of Lucian Freud’s early drawings, where he used a similar kind of precision to capture the psychological intensity of his subjects. It’s a good reminder that art isn’t just about what you see, but how it makes you feel.