De Tijd 1978

Curator: "De Tijd," or "The Time," a print from 1978 by Harrie A. Gerritz currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. It’s strikingly minimal, isn't it? Editor: Yes, it gives me this feeling of suspended animation almost; the pastel colors and sparse composition create a sense of quiet stillness and dreamy timelessness. It's like glimpsing a memory. Curator: It is rather contemplative. Gerritz here plays with very simple geometric and organic shapes—a pink circle, a yellow square, and somewhat abstracted figures of cows, delineated by a broken line of green. The work seems to suggest the fragmentation of moments. Editor: Absolutely. I find the positioning quite compelling. The two cows separated by the broken green line remind me of opposing viewpoints and suggest duality; it evokes this sense of division within unity. Also, this sparseness with the vast white space makes it incredibly striking. Curator: A formal element perhaps referring to the isolation that time brings. Consider also the subtle texture created by the printmaking process, each dot a fragment, building into the bigger picture. These deliberate material decisions highlight the relationship between form and content, underlining the nature of memory and perception. Editor: You're spot on. It all speaks to impermanence, doesn't it? Everything is fleeting and fading into the backdrop of the now. Each cow represents moments moving forward but separated into something different through passing time. I am in awe of the watercolor-like details as well as how minimal and well constructed the figures actually are, the more I look. Curator: Gerritz captures the essence of time's elusiveness perfectly through a clever combination of abstracted forms and skillful use of printmaking techniques. It certainly prompts you to meditate about temporality and perspective. Editor: I agree! "De Tijd" serves as a poignant reflection on how our interpretation shifts depending on how the sands of time filter through perception and existence.