Naakt met boek of stenen plaat in de hand 1924

Curator: Well, the first thing that strikes me is its…serenity? A very pale figure within pale, receding rectangles. There’s a calmness to it that’s almost unnerving, a detachment. What do you think? Editor: Yes! It’s a very still, almost tomb-like composition, isn’t it? We’re looking at "Naakt met boek of stenen plaat in de hand"—"Nude with Book or Stone Tablet in Hand"— a 1924 linocut print on paper by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, part of the Rijksmuseum collection. And given that title… well, there’s the symbolic weight of knowledge, or perhaps law, contrasted against the vulnerability of the figure. Curator: Precisely! The layered frames around her remind me of ancient sarcophagi. That layering effect feels deliberate. It both protects and isolates her. That object she holds is interesting, it's as ambiguous as the nude figure itself. A book offers enlightenment, the tablet alludes to morality—these notions combined hint at ritual and introspection, right? Editor: Mmh, it's hard to not view it as a kind of personal exploration. Mesquita worked extensively in graphic arts and printmaking. So, this feels less like a nude figure studied for art's sake and more like… an impression left behind. What sticks is how lightly she is printed, it looks fragile like an imprint— or memory on old paper. Curator: An impression – I like that. Consider that, around this time, Expressionism was pushing emotional boundaries. You wonder what Mesquita aimed to express with such simple but forceful lines, a face with empty eyes that feels disconnected from the physical form? The starkness itself becomes meaningful, an evocation rather than a portrayal. Editor: There’s such a directness and vulnerability. And it also feels melancholic. The muted palette adds a lot of mood to the artwork. She seems lost within those outlines, barely there...a wisp, or whisper. It almost feels… incomplete? A testament to transient human perception. Curator: It’s as though the boundaries around her keep defining what she is not rather than what she is, an absence becoming presence...an expressionist spirit, don’t you agree? Editor: Exactly, that interplay of what *is* there versus what isn't there, is just really stunning. Almost unsettlingly pure! Curator: Yes, in stark visual economy lies tremendous narrative potential here! A truly meditative experience. Editor: A quiet mystery; an absence to which our own thoughts rush in!