Opdrachtblad voor een album voor Prof. Mr. L. den Hartog 1902

This is a commission sheet for an album for Professor Mr. L. den Hartog, made around 1902 by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries. It's a lovely thing, all soft blues and golds, with everything carefully outlined, even the text. I love how it embraces artmaking as a process of layering and refining. Look closely and you'll see the texture of the paper. The artist uses color in a very particular way to create depth and visual interest. The blue looks almost like a cloudy sky. See how the curves of the frame echo the shape of the text box? The wings on the creatures at the top are mirrored in the design motifs at the bottom. It's a conversation, a visual dance between different elements. It makes me think of Hilma af Klint, another artist who used geometric forms to express unseen forces. Just like with Klint's work, this piece reminds us that art is an ongoing exploration, full of mystery and possibility.