Ontwerp voor twee decoratieve tekstkaders 1909

This pencil drawing of decorative text frames was created by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries. It’s all about the possibilities here, a sketch of what might be. I’m really drawn to the way the artist uses the grid as a starting point, letting the rigid structure inform these looping, organic shapes. It's like a dance between order and chaos. The lines are tentative, searching, but there’s a confidence too, a sense of play. The way the darker lines emphasize certain shapes, like the corners of the frames, gives the whole thing a kind of weight, grounding the more ephemeral lines. It reminds me a bit of Art Nouveau, but with a raw, unfinished quality that feels very modern. I see echoes of artists like Hilma af Klint, in its exploration of geometric forms with organic elements. But really, it's part of this endless conversation, artists riffing off each other across time, always searching for new ways to see and express the world.