Lezen (Liggend naakt, een boek lezend) 1913

This is 'Lezen (Liggend naakt, een boek lezend)' by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, a print made using black ink. The linework is incredibly intricate, with a lot of attention given to pattern. Look at the patterned textile behind the nude figure and the book she’s reading: it's like the details in the book are echoed in the backdrop. I can only imagine Mesquita, with his carving tools, making tiny mark after tiny mark. There's also a tenderness in the lines that define the figure, a very specific and intimate gaze. There’s this tension between decoration and observation; the image is both classical and modern. You can feel the artist’s hand, slowly building the image, thinking and making at the same time. Painters and printmakers – we are always looking at each other's work, borrowing and remixing ideas in an ongoing exchange.