Hoornuil (1915)

Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita is the artist behind "Hoornuil", dated 1915. Context for 1915: The first decades of the twentieth century were a period of rapid experiment, with Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and the first abstract painting appearing within a few years of each other. Posters, magazines, and illustrated books were major ways for the public to meet new art and design. The catalogue places it in Plants & Animals. The format is portrait. Plants & Animals, a short history: Images of plants and animals run from medieval herbals and bestiaries to the scientific illustration of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Naturalists and artists often worked together, especially on voyages and in published surveys of flora and fauna.

Buying "Hoornuil" means getting a digital file, not a physical print: Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI, delivered by email once payment is confirmed. A 300 DPI file is intended for printing at home or at a local print shop, where you can choose a matte, satin, or fine-art paper to suit the room. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Flora and fauna subjects make an interior feel softer and more alive, adding a natural rhythm that works well in both traditional and contemporary spaces. A simple frame with a mat often helps an image settle comfortably into a room. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour.

Dutch, 1868–1944

If you like the visual language of Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.