Ontwerp voor een halsketting c. 1874 - 1932

This drawing of a necklace design was made by Mathieu Lauweriks in pencil on graph paper. You can see the artist lightly sketched his ideas, one above the other, imagining what the necklace might look like from different angles. I can see him working through the design process: how will it clasp? What size should the pendant be? It reminds me of artists like Hilma af Klint and Agnes Martin, who also used geometric forms in their art but for different ends, often spiritual or philosophical. Think about the time and labor involved in the act of jewelry making and how Lauweriks is showing the possibilities of design. His quick marks embody a sense of immediacy and improvisation, as though the artist were thinking aloud with his pencil. It makes me want to grab a pencil and sketch!