Ontwerp voor de schutbladen van een portefeuille 1884 - 1952

This is Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries' design for the endpapers of a portfolio, and it's so interesting to consider this as the art. Not just the painting, but the thought put into the design of this object. The warm, creamy color palette is so inviting, and the way the lines and shapes are so carefully balanced, it makes you want to reach out and touch it. There's a beautiful, repetitive quality to the design, with those flowers encased in diamonds, that almost feels meditative. See how the artist's initials, RWP, are subtly placed within one of the bands? It's these little details that make the design so special. It has this calm, grounding feeling. It reminds me of the work of Hilma af Klint, who also used geometric shapes and patterns to create spiritual and symbolic designs. De Vries makes you think about the beauty and meaning that can be found in the most unexpected places.