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Graphic Grandeur on film

29 March 2021

Graphic Grandeur on film

Want to know more about our exhibition Graphic Grandeur: Escher and his Contemporaries, which we organise in collaboration with Kunstmuseum Den Haag? In these videos, curator Judith Kadee takes you along and gives you a preview, touching on contemporaries like Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch, Piet Mondriaan and Gerd Arntz. Their work is on view together with that of M.C. Escher at Escher in The Palace.

These videos were previously shared individually on our social media pages and are published here as a series. In this way, you can already discover more about this fascinating exhibition, which runs until 5 September, from home.

Nature as a source of inspiration: Jan Hendrik Weissenbruch & M.C. Escher

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Art for everyone: Gerd Arntz & M.C. Escher

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Parade of portraits: Chris Lebeau, Jan Schonk, Julie de Graag and M.C. Escher

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Commissioned works: Piet Mondriaan & M.C. Escher

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A love of the sea: H.W. Mesdag & M.C. Escher

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Impossible creatures: Harry Disberg & M.C. Escher

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M.C. Escher and geometric shapes

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More about this exhibition

Graphic Grandeur: Escher and his Contemporaries

3 March to 5 September 2021

Graphic Grandeur: Escher and his Contemporaries

The most famous printmaker in the Netherlands is without a doubt M.C. Escher. His graphic art depicting optical illusions has earned him a unique place in both national and international art history. But he was not the only Dutch printmaker of importance in his time. The exhibition 'Graphic Grandeur: Escher and his Contemporaries' at Escher in The Palace highlights the graphic art of Escher's Dutch contemporaries.

A Parade of Portraits

Graphic Grandeur

A Parade of Portraits

The tradition of portraiture goes back centuries. An entire room is devoted to this subject in the exhibition Graphic Grandeur: Escher and his Contemporaries. You are not the only one looking here in this gallery. Lots of eyes are looking back at you, too: from Beethoven to a stylised dog, and from Escher’s wife Jetta to a Dutch General with one eye. As soon as the exhibition opens to the public (hopefully as soon as possible!), you can look and be seen here.

Mortality immortalised: Julie de Graag & M.C. Escher

Graphic Grandeur

Mortality immortalised: Julie de Graag & M.C. Escher

Memento mori: this old Latin phrase reminds people that we will all die some day. This saying is the gloomy subject of the simple yet direct woodcut of Julie de Graag (1877-1924). De Graag was a talented graphic artist and her work was highly stylised. Influenced by sculptor Joseph Mendes da Costa and De Stijl’s Bart van der Leck, she increasingly omitted details, as her linework grew simpler and more direct.

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita

Graphic Grandeur

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita was a gifted artist, painter and printmaker with an idiosyncratic signature who occupies a special place in the canon of art. But above all he is the discoverer of M.C. Escher, the man who made the architecture student choose the profession that would make him world-famous. The sorcerer's apprentice was to outshine his discoverer and things slowly grew quieter around De Mesquita. On 31 January 1944 he was arrested by the Nazis. He died shortly afterwards in Auschwitz concentration camp. Escher was devastated and the death of his teacher made a deep impression on him. Nowadays the name of Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita is often directly linked to that of Escher, but there is still plenty to say about the teacher.

Richard Roland Holst

Graphic Grandeur

Richard Roland Holst

The term homo universalis, meaning universal man, aka polymath, was coined in the Renaissance by the writer, philosopher and musician Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472). Leonardo da Vinci is often seen as the quintessential polymath. In his case, this referred to his mastery of the complete spectrum of sciences. Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-332 BC) is considered to be the first homo universalis. The term is at times applied incorrectly, but Richard Roland Holst (1868-1938) definitely qualifies. In the database of the RKD, the Netherlands Institute for Art History, he is described as an author, sculptor, scene-painter, Academy director, etcher, glass painter, professor, illustrator, lithographer, furniture designer, designer, painter, draftsman, maker of woodcuts and muralist. A universal man of the arts, in other words.

In search of the experiment

Graphic Grandeur

In search of the experiment

The history of printmaking goes back for centuries. So it is no wonder that a great range of printmaking techniques have been developed over time. From woodcut to copper engraving and from mezzotint to screen printing. Moreover, many graphic artists have successfully added their own personal twist to this ancient craft. By experimenting they paved the way for technological improvements, but also for new modes of artistic expression. Experiments formed part of printmaking from the very beginning. In the 17th century, for example, the Dutch artist Hercules Seghers inked his etchings with oil paint, bringing color to the black-and-white world of etching.

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