Vaas van aardewerk, polychroom beschilderd met het decor Tulpen c. 1922

This is a polychrome earthenware vase with the "Tulips" decor, crafted by Theo Colenbrander. It's a visually striking piece, where the interplay of shapes and colors commands our attention. The vase swells with a robust form, then tapers at the neck, challenging traditional notions of symmetry. Colenbrander boldly uses dark blues, greens, and earthy tones to depict tulips in a manner that defies conventional representation. The flowers and leaves are rendered not as faithful botanical studies, but as stylized, almost abstract forms. This approach pushes the vase beyond mere functionality, transforming it into a canvas for exploring the boundaries between representation and abstraction. The texture of the earthenware, combined with the glossy finish of the paint, gives the vase a tactile quality that invites closer inspection. It is the interplay between form and surface that defines the vase's aesthetic power, pushing us to reconsider how decorative arts can engage with broader artistic and philosophical ideas about perception and representation.