Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita - Litho: Fantasy - Sold

Lithograph of Samuel Jesserun de Mesquita. Title: Fantasy: man with skullcap, eyes closed; in the background four singing female figures. Lithograph from the series of 10 original lithographs. Dimensions work: H37 x w30.5cm. Dimensions of the presentation: H30 x W24cm. The work is signed at the bottom right and provided with a monogram at the top left, by the artist. The authenticity of the work offered is fully guaranteed. A certificate of authenticity can be emailed upon request.

Shipping: We ship on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita (Amsterdam, June 6, 1868 – Auschwitz, February 11, 1944) was a Dutch graphic artist, craftsman and painter. Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita was best known for his 'sensitivistic drawings', bizarre, often caricatural depictions. He would continue to make them for the rest of his life. He is also known as a teacher and friend of Maurits Cornelis Escher and Reijer Stolk. He was deported to Auschwitz on February 1, 1944, where he was presumably killed by the Nazis immediately upon arrival.

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita was born in Amsterdam as the youngest son of Josua Jessurun de Mesquita and Judith Mendes da Costa. His brother Joseph Jessurun de Mesquita and his sister Anna Jessurun de Mesquita also showed an artistic talent. His father was a teacher of classical languages and Hebrew. The family lived on the Nieuwe Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, where many Portuguese-Jewish families lived at the time, who formed a close-knit community. Samuel already showed a pronounced talent for drawing at primary school.

When he was 14 years old, he took the entrance exam for the Rijksakademie, but he was rejected. After this, he started training as an apprentice at the Springer architectural firm, where he worked extensively on drawing ornaments, which are characteristic of the architectural style of the late 19th century. This laid the foundation for his later development. He opted for a drawing course at the 'Rijksnormaalschool voor Teekenonderwijzers', but at the same time took lessons at the Rijksschool voor Kunstnijverheid in Amsterdam. His fellow students included his (future) brother-in-law Joseph Mendes da Costa, Lambertus Zijl and Theodoor Nieuwenhuis.

In 1889 he obtained his secondary drawing certificate. He then went on to paint, draw, woodcuts, ex-libris and batik. At the same time he developed a new drawing technique with which he made his 'sensitive drawings'. In 1902 he was appointed teacher at the Applied Arts School in Haarlem, to which he remained attached until 1926. In 1905 his son Jaap was born.

In 1917 he accepted a board position of the Association for the Promotion of the Graphic Arts. From 1921 to 1924 he was president of the association. Because he stopped teaching at the Applied Arts School in Haarlem in 1926, he was able to devote himself completely to making his own works again. The first issue of 1925 of Wendingen magazine was devoted entirely to his sensitive work. In 1931 another episode appeared with a selection of later work, which was introduced by the art historian AM Hammacher. In 1933 he accepted a position as a lecturer at the 'Academy of Visual Arts', which brought him honor, recognition and an improvement in his financial circumstances.