Ex libris voor J. Slagter: gedachte - inspiratie - uitspraak (ontwerp) c. 1935 - 1940

Curator: Here we see Leo Gestel's "Ex libris voor J. Slagter: gedachte - inspiratie - uitspraak (ontwerp)", a drawing rendered in ink and typography, created circa 1935 to 1940. Editor: Immediately, it feels like a block print even though it's a drawing. I’m drawn to how the repeated faces, tightly packed, give this a strange weight and almost uneasy tension despite being quite simple. Curator: The clustering of faces is particularly powerful for an Ex Libris – a bookplate intended to represent the owner's identity and intellectual world. The faces, rendered with a sort of stylized geometry typical of Art Nouveau, might symbolize different facets of Slagter's thought. Editor: Right. You see how the ink, even in its simple strokes, delineates plane and form in a deliberate, crafted manner? The mark-making becomes very important here, reminding me of the social significance and tradition embedded in the physical act of design. This was likely not dashed off in an instant. Curator: Precisely. Notice the inscription in Dutch: "gedachte - inspiratie - uitspraak"—thought, inspiration, and utterance. These qualities are embodied, literally, by the figures peering out, all oriented in different directions. Perhaps implying the multi-directionality of creativity. Editor: Absolutely. But think about what that process entailed, especially around 1935. Gestel wasn't just creating art. He was crafting an identity marker during the interwar period through typography and imagery that suggested progress alongside historical awareness. The weight of that time gives objects like these added importance. Curator: It reminds us that even something functional and seemingly simple as a bookplate carries such cultural weight. Thanks for sharing your insightful thoughts. Editor: And thank you for revealing these meaningful symbols to me.