Boy's Head 1927

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita made this woodcut called Boy's Head, and wow, those lines! The whole thing's constructed from these parallel lines, right? Like, the face itself is built with them, giving the skin this cool, almost topographical feel. Then the hat, that's all plaid, just made of more lines intersecting. It's such a simple move, but it creates this intense visual rhythm. Look at how the lines curve around the nose and mouth. It’s like de Mesquita is feeling the form, letting the wood guide him. I wonder what kind of tool he used? You can almost imagine the artist carving into the block, the resistance of the wood, each line a conscious decision. It reminds me a little of Kirchner, who also worked with woodcuts and that same kind of raw, emotional energy. You get the sense of art as a conversation across time, and one with the materials at hand. It's like he's saying, “Here’s what I saw, here’s what I felt," and leaves it open for us to bring our own stuff to the party.