Zelfportret: B-1-1, voorjaar 1942 1942

Editor: So, this is "Self-Portrait: B-1-1, Spring 1942," a pencil drawing by Cor van Teeseling. It feels almost haunting, rendered so delicately, especially given the year it was created. What catches your eye in this particular self-portrait? Curator: The year is indeed significant, and I immediately perceive a layering of cultural anxiety encoded within the lines of this portrait. The softness of the pencil work creates a certain vulnerability, a raw exposure. It's as though he is stripping away any artifice. What do you make of his direct gaze? Editor: It’s intense, definitely, like he’s trying to communicate something urgent. Is it about the war, do you think? Or something more personal? Curator: Both, perhaps intertwined. Think about the symbolism of the 'self-portrait' itself - a form of asserting one's identity and existence. During wartime, the ability to claim your image becomes a potent act of resistance against erasure. Does his face evoke other figures to you? Are there traces of a national archetype he calls on? Editor: Now that you mention it, there's something subtly heroic in the set of his jaw. Almost stoic. He isn’t overtly defiant but the sheer act of portraying himself feels…powerful, like a quiet rebellion. Curator: Precisely. It speaks to the enduring power of art to document, resist, and above all, to remember. Images are never neutral, particularly self-images created in times of upheaval. Editor: This has completely changed how I see it. Thanks! It’s much more than just a sketch; it's a statement of resilience. Curator: Indeed, a whispered assertion of identity, refusing to be forgotten.