Bandontwerp voor: Hoe? En wat?, 1905 1905

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries designed this cover for a book called ‘How? And What?’ in 1905. The stark black and white design and the clean lines are typical of the decorative style known as Nieuwe Kunst, the Dutch version of Art Nouveau, that was popular at the time. The design reflects the cultural and intellectual climate in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 20th century, a time of significant social change and artistic innovation. Artists were exploring new ways of representing the world, often drawing inspiration from non-Western cultures and spiritual movements. The text refers to the Amsterdam publisher H.M.J. Meulenhoff, who were important distributors of progressive literature at the time. What social or political ideas might have been contained in a book with such a provocative title? Historians of art can explore the archives of publishing houses, the biographies of authors and artists, and the social and political movements of the time to understand more fully the context in which art like this was made.