Zelfportret 1998 nr. 95 1998

Philip Akkerman made this self-portrait in 1998, it’s number 95 in a series, using, what looks like, pen on paper. You can tell Akkerman has really embraced the act of looking and mark-making as a process of figuring things out. I love how the whole image is built from these tight, almost topographic lines, giving the face a strange, sculptural quality. Look at how the lines around the eyes and mouth create depth, while the hair becomes this swirling mass of texture. The way the light radiates out from the head is mesmerizing, like he’s trying to capture not just an image, but an emanation, or a vibe. The marks are so controlled, yet the overall effect is almost feverish. It reminds me of the obsessive quality you see in the work of some outsider artists, like Adolf Wölfli, who are driven by some inner need to create their own worlds. Akkerman's commitment to the self-portrait, his willingness to keep digging into the same subject, is, for me, a real testament to the power of art as a way of knowing.