Seated Nude (Zittend naakt) - Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, a Dutch artist born in 1868, defies easy categorisation, though his work often finds itself nestled within the realm of Surrealism. While a contemporary of luminaries like Mondrian, de Mesquita carved a distinct path, one less concerned with pure abstraction and more deeply rooted in the expressive potential of the natural world. His woodcuts, lithographs, and drawings teem with meticulously rendered animals, grotesque figures, and haunting portraits, all imbued with a palpable sense of the uncanny. Tragically, de Mesquita's life was cut short by the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Despite his forced obscurity during the war, his influence quietly rippled through the Dutch art scene. One of his most devoted pupils was none other than M.C. Escher, who credited de Mesquita with teaching him the fundamentals of printmaking and, perhaps more importantly, instilling in him a lifelong fascination with the interplay of light and shadow. Today, Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita's art is undergoing a well-deserved renaissance. His prints offer a glimpse into a world where the familiar morphs into the fantastical, a testament to his unique vision and enduring legacy. Owning a de Mesquita print is not just acquiring a beautiful piece of art; it's embracing a fragment of Dutch history and celebrating the resilience of the creative spirit.