Self Portrait, Pointing at a Portrait of the Artist's deceased Colleague Dirk Jacobsz Ploegsma (1769-91) 1791 - 1795

Willem Bartel van der Kooi made this oil on canvas painting depicting himself and his deceased colleague Dirk Jacobsz Ploegsma. Look closely and you can see how van der Kooi used oil paints to achieve an incredibly smooth and lifelike surface. This was no easy feat, but a testament to his skill. The way he blended the pigments, using glazes and scumbles, creates a sense of depth and luminosity. Notice how the light catches on the folds of his cravat, or the subtle shadows that define his features. This technique speaks to the established traditions of fine art painting. But it also required a great deal of labor, reflecting the artist’s social status, and the amount of work involved in the production process. Van der Kooi is essentially pointing at his own creative output and the process of painting itself. The materiality, the making, and the social context, all intertwine here, challenging us to rethink any simplistic distinctions between craft and fine art.