Interieur van een balzaal of foyer 1874 - 1929

This is Arnoldus Cornelius Verhees’ rendering of “Interieur van een balzaal of foyer,” likely made with ink or graphite on paper. The mark-making here is all about precision. It's clear Verhees was interested in process, but his version is about the intense, deliberate building up of detail. Look at the ceiling, the chandelier, and the friezes – each line feels so considered, yet together, they create this dizzying effect. You can almost feel Verhees leaning in, squinting, making a million tiny decisions to build up a sense of almost overwhelming ornamentation. There's a real push and pull between accuracy and the sheer joy of rendering all this fussy detail. It reminds me a little of Piranesi's architectural fantasies, but with a touch more restraint. Maybe it's a comment on the opulence of the era, or maybe it's just about the pleasure of drawing really, really tiny things. Who's to say?