Albumblad voor een album voor Prof. Hugo de Vries 1918

This album page for Professor Hugo de Vries, by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries, is rendered in linear botanical motifs in muted green and brown ink on an off-white page. I can imagine the artist carefully inking the stamp or meticulously painting with a tiny brush, patiently building up the design element by element. The rhythmic repetition of leaves and berries creates a gentle, symmetrical framework for the photos it would have contained. What was de Vries thinking as he crafted these delicate borders? Was he considering the legacy of botanical illustration, or perhaps the scientific work of the professors whose images would fill those frames? I love how the handmade imperfection of each leaf gives the page a warm, human touch. It makes me think about the many ways art and science intertwine. From the detailed drawings of Maria Merian to the colorful abstractions of Hilma af Klint, artists and scientists engage in a fascinating conversation across time.