Zelfportret met zwarte ooglap 1915

Rik Wouters made this self-portrait with ink on paper using rough, gestural marks and a simple monochromatic palette. I can imagine the artist working quickly, intuitively, and confidently, trying to capture not only his likeness but also his inner mood and emotions. I wonder what it was like to create this self-portrait with a black eye patch obscuring part of his face; maybe he was thinking about his identity, and how he presented himself to the world, or perhaps he was simply interested in the formal challenges of portraying himself in such a way. The marks feel urgent, each stroke loaded with feeling and intention. It reminds me of other artists, such as Van Gogh and Kirchner, who also used self-portraiture as a means of expressing their emotional and psychological states. Painters are in an ongoing dialogue, influencing and inspiring one another's creative journeys, and their paintings reflect this process of exchange and discovery. Painting is an embodied form of expression, allowing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.