Ornamenten 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries created this study with ink, featuring ornament designs. The drawing presents a symmetrical composition, with two mirrored, bracket-like designs positioned at either end of a horizontal axis. These designs are defined by curvilinear lines and geometric shapes, creating a visual tension between organic and structured forms. The artist repeats visual elements which may suggest an underlying pattern governed by rules of repetition and variation, typical of structuralist thought. The work invites us to consider the interplay of signs and symbols. Dots, lines and shapes function almost as a semiotic system where each element gains meaning through its relation to others. The drawing explores the very structure of visual language, asking us to consider how meaning is constructed through form and arrangement. It challenges the viewer to decode the syntax of shape and line.