Self-portrait as St John the Baptist, Carel Willink, 1937 - 1938
painting, h 90cm × w 68cm × d 7.5cm
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© S.M.E. Willink-Quiël
Willink’s lean body and the bare landscape give this painting an ominous atmosphere. On the eve of World War II (1939–1945), Willink portrayed himself as John the Baptist, the prophet who preached virtue and justice and saw baptism as the salvation from all sins. With this internalized self-portrait, Willink seems to want to avert the menace and turmoil of the times.