Mixed media, 2014, 48 x 41 CM

A Face Emerging from the Surface
In this work by Mart Visser, the face appears small and focused, almost like a fragment gently rising from the material. The portrait is presented frontally, yet without sharply defined contours. Facial features are built up through layers of paint that have been partially removed and reworked. The use of blue stands out in particular: cool and intense, yet applied with restraint. The face seems to glow against the subdued background of cardboard and textile, giving the image a sense of vulnerability. There is no fixed expression, no single moment captured. The portrait remains open and fluid, as if it continues to form itself while you are looking.


Material, Frame, and Quiet Focus
The work is composed of mixed materials, with cardboard and textile clearly visible as integral elements of the image. These materials give the surface a soft, almost tactile quality, contrasting with the more defined brushstrokes in the face. The background remains calm and supportive, allowing all attention to settle on the head. The hand-finished wooden frame, executed in a subtle greyed tone, plays an essential role in the overall composition. It gives the work space and breathing room, without fixing or enclosing it too tightly. Together, image and frame create a sense of quiet focus. This is contemporary figurative art that does not aim to be grand, but instead works through closeness. A piece that does not overwhelm, but reveals itself slowly — and for that reason, stays with you.