Silhouet Oostergasfabriek 1915

This is Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita's Silhouet Oostergasfabriek, a stark woodcut rendered in graphic black ink on paper. Imagine the artist, meticulously carving away at the woodblock, defining the negative space to reveal the looming silhouette. It makes me think of the industrial revolution, or even Fritz Lang's Metropolis. The solid forms are so distinct, yet the billowing clouds above create an element of dynamism. It's interesting to see how Mesquita reduces the scene to its essential forms, stripping away detail to emphasize shape and pattern. The stark contrast between light and shadow intensifies the scene's mood, casting the factory in a rather ominous light. Mesquita, like other printmakers such as Félix Vallotton and Edvard Munch, uses the graphic language of printmaking to express a modern sensibility, offering a personal vision of a rapidly changing world.