Mixed media on old advertising, 2021, 50 x 40 CM

A face built from layers and silence
In this work by Mart Visser, a human head slowly emerges from the surface. The portrait is frontal yet resists recognition or fixed identity. Facial features are only suggested, formed through shifting planes and traces of paint. Layers have been applied and partially removed, giving the face a fragmented and vulnerable quality. Cool blues and greys dominate the composition, interwoven with earthy reds and browns that remain visible beneath the surface. The head does not seem to look outward, but simply to exist — quiet, inward and concentrated. It is precisely this restraint that gives the work its tension and depth.


Material, surface and human presence
Executed in acrylic on linen, the materiality of the painting plays a central role. Paint is applied thickly, scratched into, and rebuilt, creating a tactile, almost sculptural surface that subtly catches the light. The pale grey background remains calm and open, allowing the head to stand free of time and place. The work balances between painting and object, bearing visible traces of process and revision. This approach is characteristic of Visser’s practice, in which the portrait functions as a universal image rather than an individual likeness. The face becomes a vessel for emotion and memory rather than a depiction of a person. A quiet, contemplative work that invites prolonged looking rather than immediate interpretation.