From a family of intellectuals, Gedö developed a wide ranging interest in art and literature. During the period 1942-1948, she made many portraits of herself and of family members.
In this ink drawing, the reader appears, leaning on an arm, through an accumulation of dense calligraphic strokes. Seen from above, in three-quarter view, the figure's downcast gaze suggests an intense focus on the brilliant white pages of an open book.
Gedö's struggles as an artist were the source of complex emotions, modulated by her sense of the necessary alienation of the artist from everyday reality. Following her studies and participation in several exhibitions, Gedö married immediately after the war and gave birth to her first son, Daniel. She publicly returned to art only in 1968. Feelings of rejection as a female artist and her ambiguity towards the conventional role expected of women led to her aspirations for a "genderless" persona--through which to express herself.