Twee mannen met petten, naar elkaar gewend Possibly 1943

This is Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita’s ‘Two Men with Caps, Facing Each Other’, made with pen and ink on paper. There’s something so immediate about a line drawing, isn’t there? Like a direct connection to the artist’s hand, mind and eye all at once. Look at the upper figure’s eye, the way it spirals out like it's caught in a whirlwind of thought. And the lines around their mouths, they seem to hint at stories, secrets, or maybe just the plain old everyday grind. The flatness of the picture plane pushes everything right up to the surface, heightening the intensity of their exchange. Mesquita reminds me a bit of artists like Guston, in the way he distorts and exaggerates features to get at something deeper, something beyond just appearances. This piece isn’t just a portrait; it’s a glimpse into a world of human connection, rendered with a beautiful, raw simplicity.