Mijn zoon (Jaap Jessurun de Mesquita) 1915

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita made this woodcut, Mijn zoon (Jaap Jessurun de Mesquita), so it’s his son Jaap, and it’s all about the stark contrast of black and white. You can really see the artist's hand in it, the way the image is built up, mark by mark. The texture of the woodcut is so present. Look at the way the lines create the pattern on Jaap's shirt, like tiny stitches holding the image together. See how the white spaces aren't just empty? They're like little breaths, allowing the black to have more weight and presence. And those eyes, behind the glasses, are so direct, so steady. The whole piece feels like a conversation, a very intimate one, between father and son, but also between the artist and the wood. You can see echoes of other printmakers in Mesquita's work, maybe someone like Félix Vallotton. But Mesquita has his own voice, his own way of making the simple act of cutting into wood something profound and deeply personal.