Ontwerp voor een vouwbeen 1874 - 1932

This architectural design was made by Mathieu Lauweriks, it's a drawing, probably in pencil, of what I am guessing is a folding screen. What's striking to me is the materiality of the paper: you can see all the little fibers and imperfections. The structure he's drawn is almost like a minimalist grid, and he's carefully shaded it in, so it reads as a solid object on the page. The lines are clean, but the shading is softer, more organic. It’s a reminder that even the most precise designs start with a human hand. Look at the way the grid extends, and then tapers down into those two simple lines: it gives the whole thing a sense of groundedness, like it's rooted to the earth. Lauweriks' design reminds me a little of Agnes Martin's grids, in the way it balances precision and imperfection, and invites us to find beauty in the simplest of forms. It’s not just a design, it’s an invitation to see the world with new eyes.