Fantasie: heksachtige kop naar rechts 1920

Curator: Here we have a drawing from 1920 by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita. Its title? “Fantasie: heksachtige kop naar rechts”—Fantasy: Witch-like Head to the Right. It’s executed in pencil. Editor: A witch, you say? It looks more like severe disappointment etched onto paper. The geometry of that face is… well, it’s almost brutal. Curator: Yes, brutal might be apt. The Expressionist leaning here is strong, wouldn't you agree? Note the simplification of form, the way the shading is almost violently applied in certain areas… It aims for affect, for a raw emotional impact, over precise representation. Editor: Oh, raw alright. The line work feels like the artist was furious with something—maybe with the subject themselves. I'm struck by how modern it feels despite its age. Like something ripped from the pages of a graphic novel. Curator: Modernity is apt, I believe. The print, and Mesquita’s work generally, engages with anxieties prevalent after the First World War. Consider the distortion of the figure as a reaction against idealized depictions of humanity and perhaps the rational. The starkness is compelling. Editor: It's not just the starkness, but how this so called "witch" is framed. That dark, almost claustrophobic border intensifies the isolation. And then that singular eye glaring, not meeting but piercing through us. The expression is haunting. Curator: A compelling argument. One cannot overlook the significance of semiotics, can one? Her features represent power—a power viewed with unease within its historical context. Observe how each line informs a narrative—fear, isolation, defiance, power? Editor: Precisely. And there's such an intense power held in a such minimal set of tools and a monochrome palette. The skill… or better yet the sensibility of de Mesquita—he has a kind of psychological urgency, almost frantic quality of thought! The eye travels but always goes back to that geometric profile—starkness in every definition. Curator: Well put. Ultimately, "Fantasie: heksachtige kop naar rechts" isn’t just a portrait, but a potent rendering of complex, contradictory feelings. Its stark presentation asks us to consider how lines alone become conduits of deeply resonant emotive truths. Editor: A truth etched with pencils instead of pointed fingers. I’ll take that home. Thank you.