Self-Portrait 1910

Umberto Boccioni made this self-portrait with pen and ink on paper, it's now here at the Met. You can tell he's working it out as he goes, letting the pen lead the way. Up close, it's a whole world of tiny lines, like he's mapping out his own face. The ink is dark, almost brooding, but the paper shines through, giving it this cool, silvery light. Look at how he uses these tiny marks to build up the shadows, especially around his eyes – you can almost feel the weight of his gaze. He's not just showing you what he looks like; he's showing you how he sees himself. It reminds me a bit of some of Schiele's self-portraits, that same intensity. Maybe it's that both artists were interested in capturing not just an image, but a feeling, and a whole way of thinking about what it means to be alive, to be human. Art isn't about answers. It’s about asking questions, about not being afraid to show all the messy, contradictory bits of yourself.