Portret van een onbekende man met sigaar 1909

This is Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita’s 'Portret van een onbekende man met sigaar', made with some kind of printmaking process, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The starkness of the black and white is softened by the hatching and curved lines, which have a real graphic quality. The way the lines describe the form, especially in the hair, reminds me of woodcuts. I love the little details, like the polka dots on his tie. The image really captures a personality, though. The man looks severe, but also a little goofy, with his tiny glasses and the cigar jutting out of his mouth. It has the feel of a quick sketch, even though it's a print. The confidence of the line is impressive and the way the artist has captured the essence of the sitter with such minimal means. De Mesquita was a printmaker and teacher, and his work often features bold contrasts and simplified forms, you can also see shades of other printmakers, like Félix Vallotton, in the simplification and boldness of the image.