Fotoreproductie van een tekening, voorstellende een zelfportret door Jan Toorop after 1915

Editor: Here we have a photographic reproduction of Jan Toorop's self-portrait drawing, made after 1915. It's rendered in pencil, and what strikes me immediately is the intensity of his gaze. What's your take on it? Curator: Oh, Jan! That gaze pierces, doesn't it? I feel like I'm staring straight into his soul—or maybe the soul he *wants* us to see. There’s a dramatic flourish, almost a theatricality, to the beard, wouldn't you agree? Like he's deliberately crafting an image, a *symbol* of the artist as some kind of prophet or visionary. Editor: That's a good point, theatricality! It's definitely not just a straightforward representation. Do you think it's fair to call it almost a caricature, in some ways? Curator: Caricature, perhaps gently. There's an exaggeration of features, sure, that almost sinister eyebrow! And yet, it still conveys a powerful presence, don’t you think? Toorop, being a Symbolist, wouldn't be interested in mere surface likeness. He was after something deeper, maybe something unsettling. That’s a heavy thing, a heavy mantle, the soul's artist. But perhaps that weight is reflected in this piece. Editor: It’s fascinating how much you can read from a seemingly simple pencil drawing! I’ll certainly be thinking about Toorop's soul – or at least the image he crafts for us. Curator: Isn't it glorious? Art invites the conversation of soul-searching. Now *that's* the artist’s heavy mantle that I carry!