Twee duiven 1931

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita made this monochromatic print of two doves. Look at how the artist has used the graphic qualities of light and shade to describe the birds. It makes me wonder, how do you even begin something like this? I'm picturing Mesquita working on the block of wood, maybe with different tools for mark-making. There must be a sense of pressure. I mean, every cut is so final. I bet there were lots of trial and error. I bet he had to surrender his initial idea, and let the piece lead him somewhere new. You have to kind of let go. See what happens. These birds have a stillness, but they feel so alive. The simple contrasts of light and dark evoke so much. He has turned these birds into something iconic. I am reminded of other printmakers like Félix Vallotton, but Mesquita's work has a unique graphic punch. Art is a continual exchange of ideas. It is a conversation between artists across time. Each one inspires the next, opening up possibilities for new ways of seeing and feeling. Ultimately the work invites us to enter into its world, to ask questions, and to find our own meaning within it.