Zelfportret en wasknijpers - Paul Damsté

A 1973 etching by Paul Damsté, featuring a self-portrait constructed from a repetitive grid of semi-circular motifs.

This work, titled Zelfportret en wasknijpers, is a 1973 etching by the Dutch artist Paul Damsté. The composition presents a self-portrait mediated through a rigorous, repetitive graphic system. Damsté employs a horizontal grid of small, semi-circular motifs, which function as the visual equivalent of clothes pegs, to construct the contours and tonal values of his own face.

The resulting image occupies a space between mechanical reproduction and manual mark-making. By breaking the portrait into these uniform, rhythmic units, the artist forces the viewer to reconcile the abstract nature of the individual marks with the recognisable human form. The eyes, nose, and mouth emerge from the density of the pattern, where the spacing and orientation of the semi-circles dictate the depth of shadow and the clarity of the features. This approach reflects a broader interest in the 1970s regarding the intersection of systematic processes and personal identity.

The print is executed in monochrome, relying entirely on the precision of the etching process to maintain the integrity of the grid. The white margins of the paper provide a neutral frame for the central square, which contains the entirety of the portrait. The artist's signature and the date are inscribed in the lower margins, maintaining the formal presentation typical of mid-twentieth-century printmaking. This piece demonstrates a calculated approach to portraiture, where the subject is not merely depicted but is instead reconstructed through a disciplined, repetitive visual language. The work invites an examination of how perception functions when faced with a subject that is simultaneously a coherent face and a collection of identical, non-representational shapes.