Self portrait

At the time Wichman decided to become an artist – around 1910 – the visual arts were in a period of experimentation. Besides painting, he also started to experiment with all kinds of chemical processes. He was able to do this in the silver factory of Carel Begeer. In 1922, he found a theme that would dominate throughout the rest of his work: the mask. Wichman lived from hand to mouth. In 1925, a generous donation enabled him to paint a series of paintings. Self-portrait is part of this series. Wichman’s masks are not there to conceal, but rather to expose.