Bolero van katoen c. 1910

This cotton bolero was made by P. Titjen-Baas, and it’s not about what it IS, but what it COULD BE. The color is humble – natural, unbleached, raw. Like a painting that's been primed, waiting for the first brushstroke, the bolero is a blank canvas full of unrealized potential. Look at the weave, how the threads cross and interlock, creating a subtle texture. Imagine it adorned with embroidery, beads, paint even, each stitch or daub a record of time and thought. The form itself is so simple, a kind of pure geometric abstraction. It reminds me of an Agnes Martin grid. Maybe art isn't about answers, but about the questions we ask, the conversations we have, and the potential we see in the unfinished.