Self-Portrait 1939

Hans Alexander Mueller made this self-portrait in 1939, it’s all in black and white, made with some kind of printmaking process. I am thinking about the artist, what he might have been thinking when he made this? It makes me want to light a cigarette, even though I don’t smoke! His hand is up to his face, he is holding a cigarette, lost in thought. There’s a lot of contrast, dark and light, giving it a noir, cinematic feel. The marks in the image feel like little hatch marks and dots, making up the whole image. I wonder how long it took him to make this? There’s such a feeling of care and craft in the work. The image brings to mind other printmakers, like Kathe Kollwitz. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time and space. Each learning and borrowing from the last. I think it's amazing!