Zelfportret 1991

This is Philip Akkerman's self-portrait in pencil, with what looks like a striped curtain behind him. What I like about this work is the way Akkerman has applied the pencil to the paper. Each mark is carefully considered, building up to a full image with many layers. I imagine him in the process of making it, really concentrating, lost in his own face. I wonder what he was thinking about when he made this drawing? Did he intend to show himself in such detail, every line etched in his face? Or was it more intuitive, allowing his feelings to guide his hand? The piece seems to relate to his other portrait works, as well as that of Lucien Freud who also liked to work from life. Ultimately, it is the artist’s hand that brings the image into being. It is the artist’s attention to detail that allows us to see something new in the familiar. Each mark builds upon the last, forming a conversation across time, and inviting us to participate.