Self-Portrait in Profile Toward Right 1938

Here's Kathe Kollwitz's "Self-Portrait in Profile Toward Right," made with charcoal. Look at how she's built up these velvety darks to describe her face and shoulders. You can imagine her, charcoal in hand, almost sculpting her face into existence on the page. I can relate to the struggle of staring at yourself, trying to capture something real. What was she thinking as she worked? The weight of life seems etched into every stroke, a life fully lived and felt. See the marks around the eyes, the set of the jaw, that direct gaze. Charcoal is so immediate, it's like she's transmitting thoughts straight from her brain to the paper. Think about other artists like Paula Modersohn-Becker, also wrestling with self-portraiture, and their contemporary engagement with material. It's like they’re having a conversation across time, inspiring each other. There's something so human in this exchange of seeing and feeling.