Zelfportret en face met pet en stropdas: B-1-1, 18 maart Possibly 1942 - 1943

Cor van Teeseling made this self-portrait in pencil on March 18th, though the year is unknown. It's a study in grey, in value and the pressure of mark making. Look at the cap on his head – see how the pencil strokes build up, layering tone on tone? It’s like he's feeling his way around his own image. The paper peeks through, giving a sense of light, of breath. You can see the different marks. Some are smudged, blurred, and others are sharp, precise. The way he renders his tie – confident, defined lines – contrasts with the softer shading of his face. There’s a kind of vulnerability in those blurred lines, an openness. I’m reminded of Lucian Freud’s drawings, that intense focus on the self, laying bare the human condition with every stroke. Art isn't about perfection; it’s about process, about seeing and feeling, and that’s what makes it real.