Self-Portrait 1928

This Self-Portrait was rendered in pencil by Jose de Almada-Negreiros. The approach to mark-making here feels so raw and immediate, like the artist is trying to capture a fleeting glimpse of himself. There’s something about the texture of the paper, the way the pencil catches on it, that gives the whole piece a kind of urgency. The lines are confident, but not overly precise, they have a beautiful, awkward energy. Look at the way he’s rendered the eyes, slightly asymmetrical, but full of life and intelligence. It’s in these small details, these imperfections, that the drawing really comes alive. I like the minimal approach, the bare essentials of a face emerging from the paper. It’s reminiscent of some of Picasso’s line drawings, spare and elegant. Art is about seeing, feeling, and thinking, all at the same time.