Profiel (meisjesprofiel) 1920

This is Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita’s "Profiel (meisjesprofiel)" at the Rijksmuseum; we don't know exactly when it was made, but it's a print. The approach is all about the stark contrast between light and dark. The thing that gets me is how the artist uses the negative space to define the girl’s face. The inky blacks around her head and neck are almost violently brushed, especially around the hair. There's a raw, immediate feel to the mark-making, which gives it a very modern feel. The blank space of the face becomes almost sculptural because of this contrast. It’s like the artist is carving the image out of the darkness, which seems almost the reverse of traditional printing. I am reminded of some of the woodcuts of Gauguin, though Mesquita brings a unique, almost brutal energy to his work. Art is just a conversation between artists, all the time. Ultimately, it's about seeing – and seeing is never really finished.