Groep figuren en gezicht met uitgestoken tong 1918

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita made this print of a group of figures with an etching technique. It’s all about the line, isn’t it? A network of tight marks scratching out a nightmarish scene. Look at how those parallel lines create volume, how they suggest shadow, and how they imply form. The bodies are built out of these insistent, almost neurotic marks. They remind me of the drawings of Alfred Kubin, another artist who explored the darker side of the psyche. See how the lines vary in thickness and spacing? It’s like de Mesquita is conducting an orchestra of anxieties, each mark a note in a discordant symphony. My eye keeps getting drawn to that face with the outstretched tongue, it’s like a primal scream captured in ink. It’s the focal point of the whole composition, drawing you into this world of grotesque characters. I love that he embraces ambiguity, allowing the figures to remain elusive and open to multiple interpretations. It invites us to confront our own inner demons and engage in a dialogue with the darker aspects of the human condition.