Ruitvormige ornamenten 1876 - 1924

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof created these Rhomboid Ornaments in pencil, somewhere in the Netherlands. Dijsselhof was part of the Dutch Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the 20th Century, as well as a proponent for the Nieuwe Kunst, the Dutch Art Nouveau. These movements coincided with a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Artists felt alienated and looked for ways to integrate art into everyday life. Here, Dijsselhof played with stylized, geometric forms, developing variations on symmetry and structure. The diamond shape was fashionable at the time, echoing earlier heraldic devices. As an art historian, I might investigate the pattern books or design schools available to Dijsselhof, where he might have learned the visual language of ornament. By understanding the specific cultural and institutional context in which art is made, we can better appreciate the social and cultural forces that shape artistic production.