Self-Portrait in Profile c. 1986s

This is a profile self-portrait by Saul Steinberg, made with pen on paper, in one of his sketchbooks. The line is confident, but wavery – you can feel the speed of it, a kind of “first thought, best thought” approach. Steinberg’s line is so distinctive, it has a kind of philosophical weight – like he’s not just drawing a face, but commenting on the very act of representation. Look how he renders his moustache with these parallel vertical strokes. It's a simple solution, but it’s also incredibly witty, like he’s saying, "This is a moustache, drawn in the most straightforward way possible." It reminds me a little of Picasso’s line drawings, that same sense of distilling a form down to its essence. Both artists share a deep understanding of how much information the bare minimum mark can convey. And maybe it’s not so much about what’s depicted but about the unique gesture of the hand. It's like Steinberg is drawing with his mind as much as his hand.