Excelsior : een Nederlandsch maandblad met originele foto's geïllustreerd 1916 - 1917

This is the cover of ‘Excelsior’, a magazine with original photos, made in July 1936 by P. Martin and J. Dingemans. The pale card is aged, it feels gentle to look at, like faded ink on old paper. The cover text is framed by a border, printed in blue, and made up of tiny repeated lozenges. It reminds me of the quilting my grandmother used to do, all those little pieces adding up to something bigger. You can see the individual marks that make up the letters, the way the ink pools in places. This piece isn’t about perfection, but about the beauty of the handmade. It reminds me a little of the work of Corita Kent, though she came later. Both artists share a love of language and a playfulness with form. Ultimately, art is a conversation, and this cover feels like a quiet, thoughtful contribution. It embraces the imperfect, and invites us to do the same.