Jongen met een rond hoofd gekleed in een mantel Possibly 1943

Curator: There's an almost unnerving directness to this piece, a rawness in its simplicity. Editor: You're right, it has an immediate impact. This pen and ink drawing, "Jongen met een rond hoofd gekleed in een mantel," or "Boy with a Round Head Dressed in a Cloak," is attributed to Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita and thought to have been made around 1943. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Curator: The hatching in the eyesockets really makes them sink and the overall impression is of sadness. Given the possible date of 1943, one wonders if that look reflects more universal anxiety, more personal fear... Editor: Absolutely, and it's intriguing to consider the starkness of the medium amplifying those emotions. Pen and ink – immediate, unforgiving. Every stroke is a deliberate act, isn't it? There is little room to mask intent. What I see is an economy of means speaking to a deeper turmoil perhaps present in the artist. Look also how thin and fragile the paper seems to be; it really puts the means of production at the forefront. Curator: I see what you mean about directness. The cloak almost becomes a shield, or perhaps a shroud. Consider that rabbit figure peering out from the top right...a peculiar counterpoint to the intensity of the boy’s face. Is it innocence lost, a forgotten childhood perhaps? Editor: It certainly invites many possible interpretations, especially considering the rabbit appears to be coming out of what almost looks like an oven tray or small bed? What was the process like for de Mesquita? Was this rapid documentation, or careful construction? And the ink itself; where did it come from, how precious was it at that time? I believe material concerns echo psychological ones here. Curator: Yes, those are compelling questions. It really makes you contemplate the artist’s state of mind during its creation, doesn't it? Thanks for sharing that perspective. Editor: Likewise, thinking about symbols lets us consider its overall emotional tone.