Notitie 1884 - 1952

Editor: This is a drawing called "Notitie," made sometime between 1884 and 1952 by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries. It seems to be charcoal and pencil on paper—almost like a page torn from a personal sketchbook. What strikes me most is how fragile and fleeting it feels, like a whispered thought. What do you see in it? Curator: Whispered, exactly! For me, it whispers of artistic process. It's as if we've stumbled upon the artist’s private world, their fleeting impressions captured on paper. I see the aged paper itself as part of the story. Those frayed edges, the foxing...they speak of time, don't they? They evoke the scent of old books and forgotten studios. Do you get a sense of that intimacy as well? Editor: Absolutely. It’s not trying to be perfect or polished. It feels incredibly authentic. And the barely legible text, almost disappearing into the page... Curator: It is tantalizing, isn't it? Like fragments of a dream. It reminds me of the joy of finding something unexpected in an old book – a pressed flower, a forgotten note. Perhaps De Vries was jotting down a phrase or an idea. Or even, consider the act of looking and of noticing… Editor: That's beautiful—like we're intruding on a moment of quiet contemplation. Curator: Precisely! It encourages us to slow down, to really look. Art isn’t always about grand statements, is it? Sometimes, it’s in these quiet, personal moments that we find the most profound connections. It invites reflection, and I find I'm asking myself: what are *my* Notities? Editor: This has completely changed how I see the piece. Before, I just saw a sketch. Now, it's a doorway into the artist's mind. Curator: And now, hopefully, it's a doorway into your own! The best art always does that, don’t you think?