Notitie 1944

This note, made by Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita around January 1944, seems so simple, yet it speaks volumes. The gentle pencil strokes on paper – pale grey on off-white – show a delicacy, a quietness. It’s not just about the image, it's about the process, the act of recording a moment. Look at the handwriting; each character carefully rendered with sensitivity. The barely-there quality emphasizes the fragility of memory, of time passing. The paper itself has marks and scuffs, a testament to its age and history. It reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin’s subtle, grid-like drawings, where the slightest variation in line weight can shift the whole mood. Both artists are masters of understatement, finding profundity in the simplest of gestures. Art doesn't always have to shout, sometimes the quietest voice resonates the loudest. It’s like a whisper across time.