Voorwerp versierd met vlechtwerk en ornamenten 1884 - 1952

Editor: This drawing, entitled "Voorwerp versierd met vlechtwerk en ornamenten"— that's "Object decorated with wickerwork and ornaments"—is by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries and was created sometime between 1884 and 1952, using pencil. The linework and detail are really impressive, especially the knots. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, for me, the interest lies in thinking about this drawing not just as a study for some unknown object, but as a document of artistic labor. Look closely at the lines; you see the artist meticulously recreating textures and patterns. We're looking at someone working, right? The pencil is a tool, like a weaver’s shuttle, and the paper is a field to be worked upon. Editor: So you see this as… documentation? Almost like a record of making? Curator: Exactly! And think about ornament itself. What purpose does it serve? Decoration, yes, but it's also work made visible. The creation of ornament – all those interwoven lines and geometric shapes, built using very rudimentary techniques – is a craft skill being translated into an 'art' object here. Look how closely De Vries looks at the production. He focuses on the labor involved. Editor: It’s interesting to think about this sketch as highlighting the production, because the original "object" this might be depicting is nowhere to be seen, it’s like the artist focuses instead on the ornamentation. Curator: Right! It invites us to question the separation between artistic practice and skilled manual labor, particularly when thinking about the colonial exploitation of resources and materials required for ornament, say. We also see what happens to that craft when it enters new and different economic zones of production. How do you see it now? Editor: I see that the means by which the image was made is a crucial component of its meaning, and understand the drawing better now thanks to your thoughts on labour, tools and economic structures.