Vier kroonkaketoes 1912

Curator: Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita's "Four Crowned Cockatoos" from 1912. It is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Immediately, it feels like a slightly ominous but comical watch party. All these cockatoos observing…what? Curator: Yes, it’s a very striking print rendered with bold lines. De Mesquita has clearly exploited the possibilities of the woodcut technique, contrasting sharply defined forms of birds and tree branches against the patterned background, very clearly Art Nouveau. It's an exploration of contrast and form; nature and urban life. Editor: The background resembling a brick wall really adds to the confinement…I get this unsettling feeling of animals stuck in a zoo or a very artificial habitat. And these eyes…so knowing. Are they judging the artist, do you think? Curator: Perhaps, but consider also how woodcut production facilitates distribution; how many households in 1912 Amsterdam could suddenly own art with radical accessibility? A critical stance against bourgeois complacency of the period might also read into it. The high contrast serves mass reproducibility, thereby circumventing the elite’s established modes of artistic consumption and circulation. Editor: But those cute feathery crests! There’s such charming tension between the imposing backdrop and the animals’ undeniable appeal. One wonders what role such visual playfulness held then, especially concerning art from this medium. Curator: Undoubtedly, charm was used to deliver deeper observations on our place in this world. Line and form unite beauty and content with remarkable effect, speaking not just of socio-political consciousness but craftsmanship also. Editor: Absolutely. Thanks to our analysis, "Four Crowned Cockatoos" certainly looks to have many more narrative feathers.