Twee mannen met petten, naar elkaar gewend Possibly 1943

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita made this ink drawing of two men with hats facing each other. I imagine him quickly moving the pen across the page, deciding on each stroke, and building the figures up from a simple line. I sympathize with the artist as he builds up the characters, one with wild hair emerging from his cap, the other with a sharp pointed nose. What could he have been thinking when he made this? Is it a playful study of the features of the face? Or a deep character study? I am drawn to the quick lines which show the different facial expressions. The marks offer intention and meaning to this sketch, and they capture a range of emotions. Artists engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.