Fantasie 1921

Curator: This intriguing woodcut print, entitled "Fantasie", was created in 1921 by the Dutch artist Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita. You can find it in the Rijksmuseum's collection. What do you think when you see it? Editor: I feel a strong current of melancholic drama flowing through this. The stark black and white creates a weighty, almost suffocating atmosphere. Is it me, or does the whole scene evoke a solemn procession, like some mournful ritual from a forgotten time? Curator: Absolutely, there’s a ceremonial aura. Mesquita’s work often teeters on the edge of surreal narrative, and the starkness you're picking up on—the product of his masterful woodcut technique—really enhances the Expressionist impact. Look at how he’s used the thick, gouged lines to define form and shadow, simplifying details while amplifying the figures’ emotional intensity. Editor: You're right, the economy of line is incredible. It's almost brutalist in its reduction of form, which I believe draws all attention to those intensely rendered faces. Note the downturned gazes and their posture; it certainly suggests some shared burden or sorrow. Could it be a response to the times? 1921 wasn’t too far removed from the First World War. Curator: Precisely! Though Mesquita often shied away from explicit political statements, his work resonates with the anxieties of that period. What fascinates me is the way he builds this imagined, almost theatrical scene—"Fantasie" indeed!—through formal choices: the repetition of vertical lines in the figures' robes, and the geometric fracturing of space around them. It's this delicate dance between emotional content and formal execution. Editor: It all comes together to make us really feel, right? He manages to carve a feeling into the wood and transfers this to the viewer, creating not just an image, but a resonant emotional echo. This piece truly exemplifies expressionism's commitment to internal landscapes made visually striking. Curator: It seems our own emotional echo from looking at this evocative expressionist "Fantasie" resonates with shared artistic and personal insight!