Overlijden van bouwmeester Hendrik Petrus Berlage 1934 1934

This commemorative medal, "Overlijden van bouwmeester Hendrik Petrus Berlage 1934", was made by Nel Klaassen, probably around the time of the architect's death. The material is bronze, which gives it that lovely, warm matte color. It feels almost like a drawing rendered in metal. Look closely at the texture; the way Klaassen has captured the likeness of Berlage in low relief. There's a real sense of the hand here, a tactile quality. The surface isn't perfectly smooth, and you can see the marks where the metal was worked, giving it a kind of quiet energy. Notice the confident lines of the profile, that understated elegance. It reminds me a bit of some of Picasso’s bronze busts, that same ability to capture the essence of a person with such simple means. Art is always a conversation across time; it's never really finished, is it? We keep finding new things in it.