Zelfportret (met slagschaduw)

This is a self-portrait by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, a woodcut made sometime around the turn of the century. What strikes me is the total lack of detail, and the way it's made up of solid planes of dark ink, a method that feels very modern to me. I love how his expression is constructed from very few marks. It's really quite reductive, but somehow, there's an immense amount of personality in that mustache. The real tension in this piece lies in the artist's hand, which is raised in a kind of a defiant gesture, though it also seems to be shielding him. There is an interesting comparison to be made between this work and the graphic prints of someone like Edvard Munch. I can see the way that printmaking, with its stark contrasts, can be such a powerful tool for expressing the anxieties of the modern world. Ultimately, what this piece does is leave us with a mood rather than a message.