Ontwerpen voor kammen, een haarspeld en een hoedenspeld 1911 - 1914

Mathieu Lauweriks made this design for combs, a hairpin, and a hatpin in 1911, likely with pencil and watercolour. The process here feels so exposed, so vulnerable. It's like seeing the artist thinking on paper. I love the way Lauweriks uses these muted tones. It's almost like a whisper, drawing you in closer. The hatching of the pencil creates a gentle rhythm, a kind of visual vibration that gives the objects a sense of depth. Look at the top of the comb on the right, with its stepped design. It reminds me of ancient ziggurats, but also of art deco motifs. The whole thing sits between utility and ornament, the mundane and the monumental. It puts me in mind of the work of Hilma af Klint, with her diagrams of esoteric knowledge, though Lauweriks is more grounded in the everyday. Ultimately, it shows us that art is everywhere. It's in the comb that holds your hair in place, in the pin that adorns your hat. It’s in the way we choose to see the world.