C. van Steenwijk vijfentwintig jaar directeur bij het Purperhoedenveem te Amsterdam 1920 1920

This bronze medal, commemorating C. van Steenwijk’s 25 years as director, was made by D. Scholtus in 1920. The process of making a medal like this is fascinating to me. It’s not like painting, but it does involve thinking about positive and negative space. The incised lines and lettering! It makes you think about how this was made, in terms of craft. I am imagining the artist carefully and thoughtfully considering how to translate the building and lettering into a design that is both artistic and commemorative. How do the various forms of art making offer different ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world? Here, the artist has created something that is both useful and beautiful, an object that commemorates an important event, and a moment of reflection.