Zelfportret van Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht 1911

Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht made this self-portrait in 1911, using what looks like graphite on paper. The thing that grabs me right away is the mark-making; it’s so immediate, like a direct conversation with the paper. You can almost feel him searching for the right line, the perfect curve of that amazing mustache. Look at the texture around his jacket – how the lines are dense and scribbly, creating shadows and volume. Then zoom in closer to his face, you can see the delicate hatching that gives his skin form and depth. It’s like he’s mapping his own face, one line at a time. This portrait reminds me of some of Lucian Freud’s drawings, where every line feels so charged and intimate. It's a great reminder that art is as much about the process, the searching and finding, as it is about the final image.