Ornament met bladeren c. 1910

This 'Ornament met bladeren' was made by Bernard Willem Wierink, but when is anyone’s guess. And how he made it is interesting because it looks like it could be a woodcut, or a linocut, or even some kind of monoprint. The colour is so specific, that earthy red, it's almost like the ground itself. It's laid on the paper quite evenly, except for that top band, which has this beautiful torn edge, like it's been ripped from the earth. I mean, you can almost smell the soil! The interesting thing about prints is how each one is an original, even within an edition. There is a beautiful cadence in the rhythm of the ornament, but equally, the individuality of each leaf is obvious. It reminds me of other artists, like Walter Crane, or William Morris, and the way they thought about design in a social way. Like, how can we bring beauty to everyone?