Zelfportret: B-1-1, 15 februari Possibly 1942

Cor van Teeseling made this self-portrait in pencil on February 15th, no year given. It's all about the hatching, isn't it? Like he's building himself up, line by line. The whole thing has a kind of reddish-brown monochrome vibe, but it's not flat. Look at how the light catches his cheek, how he uses the pencil to create form. You can see the pressure he’s putting on the paper and how he’s layering the strokes. It makes you feel the drawing, not just see it. There's a softness in the eyes, a vulnerability, contrasted with the more assertive lines of the jacket and hair. It reminds me a bit of Lucian Freud, that intensity of looking, but with a lighter touch. It is like he's trying to figure himself out on paper. A real conversation, mark by mark.