Driehoek 1883 - 1922

Curator: Welcome. We're looking at "Driehoek," or "Triangle," a pencil and paper drawing, made sometime between 1883 and 1922 by Johanna van de Kamer. It seems more like a page ripped from a sketchbook than a finished work. Editor: My immediate impression is one of process. It's raw, unfinished, even a bit unsettling. The lines are hesitant, overlaid, and the visible equations introduce a cerebral element. I see a struggle toward a solution, not an expression of achieved form. Curator: That feeling aligns perfectly with academic art. Notice how she is clearly trying to understand some truth using abstraction and geometric forms. The triangle itself is a powerful symbol. It often represents stability, the holy trinity in some cultures, or hierarchical structures in others. Does it speak to any particular symbolism for you in this context? Editor: Interesting point. For me, it is the numbers and equations scattered around the central geometrical shapes. There’s a push and pull between the rational world of mathematics and geometry versus the messy imperfection of the freehand drawing itself. The material imperfection amplifies the quest to find stable solutions through equations and form. It could also indicate the influence of philosophy in this particular example. Curator: True. The layering and visible corrections almost transform the sketch into a palimpsest. The underlying image reveals a continuous cycle of exploration, hypothesis, testing, discarding and adjusting. The paper's yellowing further connects us to past attempts, failures, successes in solving this particular geometrical problem. It whispers of history. Editor: Perhaps what's most compelling is the piece’s very incompleteness. Its rough edges and visible process grant it a raw honesty so we can understand van de Kamer’s intentions at the time. Curator: For me, “Driehoek” reminds us that behind even the simplest forms lies a complex web of ideas and attempts to represent knowledge, understanding and experience in simple images. Editor: Indeed, a geometric journey marked by material imperfections that invites us to participate in its creative evolution.