Zelfportret van Jan Veth 1874 - 1925

Here is the script: This is Jan Veth’s self-portrait, a drawing rendered in ink. The piercing gaze and the slightly asymmetrical features demand our attention, capturing a moment of self-reflection. Note the artist's eyes, magnified slightly by spectacles: In portraits throughout history, the eyes serve as a profound symbol of insight, and even prophecy. Consider the all-seeing eyes on ancient Egyptian sarcophagi, guarding the path to the afterlife. The very act of creating a self-portrait carries a symbolic weight. Artists such as Albrecht Dürer, in his early self-portraits, elevated the artist figure, endowing themselves with a status akin to that of religious icons. Veth continues this tradition, inviting a deep, perhaps unsettling, level of introspection, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. This visual motif reappears across cultures and eras, connecting us through a shared, primal understanding of self and perception.