Zelfportret en profil before 1930

Kathe Kollwitz created this self-portrait in profile using charcoal, and I can imagine her really getting into the process, smudging and blending the charcoal to create soft, subtle gradations of light and shadow. I find myself wondering what she was thinking as she stared into the mirror, capturing her own likeness. The texture she achieves with charcoal reminds me of the subtle, tactile quality of drypoint and the way you can build up tone through layering. It’s almost like she’s sculpting her face out of the paper. I’m drawn to the way she renders her eye, with a kind of weary knowing, and the slight downturn of her lips which convey a sense of gravity. It resonates with other self-portraits by artists who also used their own image to explore themes of identity. Like Paula Modersohn-Becker who used self-portraiture to challenge conventions. Artists are always in dialogue with one another, across time and space. Each one inspiring new ways of seeing and understanding the world. Painting is a conversation that never ends, evolving and shifting.