Herinneringsalbum voor F.J. Junius, vertrekkend resident van Lampong (Zuid-Sumatra) 1932 - 1933

This album cover at the Rijksmuseum, made for F.J. Junius, is anonymous, and I find that anonymity rather freeing. I imagine someone carefully selecting this material, maybe leather embossed to look like crocodile skin, feeling the textures under their fingers. What were they thinking as they chose the string to bind it all together? Was there a particular weight or feel that they were seeking? I love thinking about the physicality of the thing, the way the maker’s hands would have been so present in its creation. The dark, almost reptilian surface hints at something primal, maybe a nod to the exotic locale of Lampong in South Sumatra. It’s a gesture, like a brushstroke, communicating intention through material choice. We, as artists, are always in conversation with one another, across time and place. It’s an ongoing exchange of ideas, inspiring our own creativity and expression. This album cover, in its own quiet way, speaks to that connection, reminding us that art is always more than what meets the eye.