Zelfportret met cactus 1926 - 1929

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita made this woodcut self-portrait with a cactus, but we don't know exactly when. The stark black and white gives it a graphic punch, and the way he's stylized his own face is super interesting, almost like a mask. You can see the hand of the artist so clearly in the print. The carved lines are thick and deliberate, and the textures are fantastic; a real physical presence. Look at the patterned triangle behind his head—it's made up of tiny repeated marks, like a whole language of its own. And the cactus! What's that about? Is he saying something about his own prickly personality, or is it a nod to something else entirely? It reminds me a little of some of Max Beckmann’s prints – the same kind of directness and willingness to embrace weirdness. But who knows, maybe it reminds you of something else. That’s the great thing about art, right? It's an open conversation.