Zelfportret Possibly 1941 - 1948

Curator: The work we're examining today is titled "Zelfportret," a self-portrait by Cor van Teeseling, potentially created between 1941 and 1948. It’s a graphite drawing currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My initial reaction is drawn to the piece's quiet simplicity. The delicate lines, the bareness of the composition... it conveys a real sense of vulnerability, doesn't it? Curator: Indeed. Teeseling was an artist operating in a tumultuous time, particularly during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. A self-portrait during such a period can be read as an assertion of identity in the face of oppressive forces. It’s an intimate declaration of self. Editor: The use of line is striking. It's so minimal, almost skeletal. You can see where the graphite barely kisses the paper, creating form through absence as much as presence. Semiotically, the lack of adornment emphasizes the subject's interiority. Curator: And think about the Dutch context during that time. Conformity was often a matter of survival. This self-portrait feels like a subtle act of resistance, a refusal to disappear completely. The gaze is direct but not confrontational. It prompts us to reflect on the weight of personal identity amidst societal upheaval. Editor: Yet the open, almost unfinished quality also allows for diverse interpretations. It becomes more about the abstract “form” than any hyper-specific emotional condition, don’t you agree? Curator: That tension between personal narrative and formal execution is what makes the work so compelling. The work occupies a liminal space; the identity of the subject isn't fixed or finalized but rendered more universal. Editor: I appreciate how examining its formal properties opens new avenues for interpreting the socio-historical. Thank you, that context shifted my view of this powerful, pared-down piece. Curator: The formal presentation really heightens that power to reach people on an individual level.