Bandontwerp voor: Het boek in 1905-1906, 1905 1905

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this cover design for 'The Book' in 1905, and there’s something so charming about its earnestness. The palette is quite restricted: black and white with golden ochre accents, with a very distinct illustrative style. I can imagine de Vries at his desk, meticulously drawing those curvilinear Art Nouveau details. The thoughtful reader depicted in the center, head in hand, reminds me of my own studio when I'm trying to make a breakthrough! It makes me think about book covers in general, which are in dialog with each other, and the art inside. It’s all about layers of communication. Maybe the artist had to wrestle with the design, trying out different ideas before landing on this one. Maybe the book was a labor of love, or maybe it was just a job. Either way, it's a little window into another artist’s world, and into mine.