Self-Portrait. Verso: Untitled (Two Figures) 1967

Curator: Leon Kossoff’s “Self-Portrait” is rendered in charcoal on paper, a medium that lends itself so well to immediacy and expressive gesture, don’t you think? Editor: Absolutely, I feel like I'm peering into the artist's soul! The raw charcoal strokes have a certain vulnerability to them. Curator: The dimensions indicate a work of considerable scale for a drawing, which affects its presence. The verso even features another drawing, "Two Figures," suggesting the importance of process. Editor: It's almost as if Kossoff is wrestling with his identity right on the page, the dark charcoal mirroring the inner turmoil and complexity of self-reflection. Do you get a sense of that too? Curator: The heavy application of charcoal, almost sculptural, certainly conveys a sense of labor and struggle, both artistic and perhaps existential. Editor: For me, it’s more than a portrait. It's a felt experience, a glimpse into a creative mind grappling with its own image. Curator: I agree, it really speaks to the power of material and technique to translate the artist's process into a tangible, emotional experience for the viewer. Editor: In the end, perhaps that’s all we can ever truly hope for from a work of art.