Vrouw met doorlopende wenkbrauwen en gesloten ogen in profiel naar rechts Possibly 1943

Curator: Before us, we see "Woman with Continuous Eyebrows and Closed Eyes in Profile to the Right," a pencil drawing possibly created in 1943 by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita. Editor: My initial thought? Vulnerability. There's a quiet surrender in that tilted head and those closed eyes. A willingness, or perhaps a resignation. It’s all so delicate. Curator: That’s perceptive. The continuous brow, while visually striking, speaks to a connection—an unbroken link between thought and emotion, consciously suppressed perhaps. Closed eyes invite the inner world into prominence. The simplification of form enhances universality; this woman embodies collective experience. Editor: I see the "collective experience" bit, absolutely. Those flowing lines seem to be hinting at stories untold and depths unknown; it also reminds me how a simple pencil captures an echo of human essence. Are there influences here in the drawing from say Cubism or Primitivism, in Mesquita's work, that strike you, beyond a conventional 'portrait'? Curator: Undoubtedly. His stylistic departure signals modernism: flattened planes and stylized contours defy classical ideals, embracing simplified geometric structures and distortions of natural form, reflecting, perhaps, psychological perspectives prevalent during this turbulent period. De Mesquita's focus moved towards primal motifs, tapping into powerful archetypes rooted in ancient cultural memories of both grief and renewal during an unstable, threatening period for European Jewish citizens and culture. Editor: It’s unsettling to consider Mesquita’s personal circumstances around 1943 – a Jew in Nazi-occupied Europe and one year before he and his family were deported and murdered. Can we possibly separate that tragic fate from how we view such an intimate study? Curator: It’s impossible, I believe. Historical context amplifies symbolic weight. Sleep could represent a form of desperate retreat or refuge—an imagined safety that history denies. The brow itself might become a signifier of worried, weary contemplation or a connection with unseen but powerfully remembered relations. Editor: Exactly. Seeing what later happened to de Mesquita makes this unassuming profile so unbelievably sad. Knowing adds to the weight of viewing such intimate expression rendered in such simplicity. Thank you for all this incredible context and visual insights. Curator: Indeed, looking closer unveils more; reflecting with an image about symbolic representation adds new richness to art. Thank you!