Self Portrait 1959

Hubertine Heijermans made this self-portrait with paint on what looks like a fine weave canvas. There’s an immediacy to the way she handles the paint here, a confidence in the strokes that really lets the image emerge rather than being carefully constructed. Look at how the planes of her face are built up with these small dabs of color, pinks and peaches that give her skin this radiant glow. And then notice the hair, loose and free with these flicks of greens and browns. It’s not about perfection but about capturing something real, something alive. The background color is this soft, fleshy pink that almost feels like another layer of skin. Heijermans reminds me a little of Alice Neel, in that way she sees people, not as perfect images, but as beings full of life and character. Art is an ongoing conversation, a way of seeing and being seen that keeps evolving over time.