Ex libris van C. van der Meulen 1913

Curator: Here we have Lodewijk Schelfhout's "Ex libris van C. van der Meulen," a print created in 1913. It employs engraving on paper to form a complex image. Editor: My immediate reaction is to the muted tones and the delicate detail; it evokes a quiet, contemplative mood. It's more intricate than I expected for a bookplate. Curator: Bookplates can be quite telling about their owners and about the values circulating when the artist created the piece. Consider that period of societal change when discussing it. Its art nouveau and symbolism lean into fin-de-siecle sensitivities around nature. I read it as the kind of sensibility reflecting a society grappling with change. Editor: Yes, the image within the archway is really striking, and I agree on its symbolic nature: there’s a vase with flowers – symbols of life, fragility, but behind it there’s this landscape. It could almost be a vanitas still life referencing human achievement. The word 'EX-LIBRIS' framed on top serves like an affirmation, associating the patron to erudition and aesthetics, claiming cultural heritage. Curator: The floral arch, rendered in a geometric style also tells a story about industrialization and how that generation still craved romanticism. As an artist, Schelfhout reflects on all these tensions. We may want to think more carefully about his relationship to gender expectations in his practice. Editor: You're right. Considering the rise of female artists and designers in that era, and that many women became enthusiastic book collectors, perhaps the Ex Libris suggests a coded support to such a figure, and a dialogue about the position of the female gaze? What do you think? Curator: Exactly! Schelfhout contributes to that evolving representation in ways that might challenge existing power structures, subtle but potentially radical in its cultural moment. Editor: Thinking about its emotional and intellectual resonances opens up an exciting, very nuanced perspective! The combination of personal property marker and symbolic statement… it’s incredibly clever. Curator: By situating the artwork within its historical context, its layers become so much richer, reflecting the multifaceted negotiations that made this piece, literally, a sign of its times.