Onvoltooid zelfportret en face: B-1-1, 10 februari Possibly 1942

Cor van Teeseling made this unfinished self-portrait in pencil, February 10th. It’s a drawing, but it’s really about painting, or the *idea* of painting. The ghostly quality of the marks, so light and tentative, makes me think about how we construct an image, bit by bit, like a memory. There's a vulnerability in leaving the structure so exposed, as if the artist is saying, "Here's how it's done, folks." It’s not about the grand gesture but the accumulation of small, thoughtful strokes. Look closely and you see the subtle shading around the eyes. It's almost as if the artist is coaxing the image into being, gently suggesting rather than dictating. I keep thinking of Agnes Martin. This self-portrait reminds me that art is as much about the process as it is about the final product and that sometimes, the most powerful statements are the ones left unfinished.