Self-Portrait 1911 1911

Anders Zorn made this etching, Self-Portrait, in 1911, and what gets me right away is the sheer number of marks. It’s like he’s thinking out loud with lines. Look at his face—it’s a storm of tiny scratches and scribbles, somehow coming together to form this solid, almost confrontational gaze. I can almost see him, bending over the plate, scratching away with that needle, trying to capture himself. The shadows aren’t smooth, but a mass of tiny, agitated lines, it’s like the darks are fighting to stay put. That’s the thing about etching, isn’t it? It’s all about that push and pull, that give and take with the material. It reminds me a bit of Rembrandt, who also wasn’t afraid to let his lines get a little messy, a little wild. But Zorn has his own thing going on, a kind of restless energy that I find really compelling. It's a bit like life, isn't it? A series of messy, imperfect marks that somehow add up to something meaningful.