Studie c. 1901

This geometrical drawing on graph paper was made by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, though we don't know exactly when. Imagine Dijsselhof at his desk, surrounded by tools, contemplating patterns. He’s mapping out these shapes and motifs with such care, the hard lines softened by the paper’s texture and the lightness of the pencil. I love how the grid gives the drawing structure, a foundation to build on, with small calculations scribbled in the corner. The drawing feels both precise and intuitive, almost like a dance between order and chaos. I wonder if he was thinking about his predecessors, those artists and designers who laid the groundwork for modernism. He was probably imagining the endless possibilities of geometric forms and the way that they can echo the patterns found in nature. The slight imperfections show the hand of the artist, which brings a certain warmth. It reminds us that art is not just about the final product but about the process.