Twee bureaus in de Hendrik II-stijl before 1904

Here we have 'Twee bureaus in de Hendrik II-stijl', a print that seems to be about furniture design, but really it’s about shape and colour. The unknown artist uses lines that feel a bit like wireframes, suggesting the furniture’s form without fully committing. Look closely, and you'll notice the subtle tonal variations in the wood, the play of light and shadow achieved with delicate hatching. There's an area just beneath the top desk, where the color bleeds into a soft shadow. I love this kind of mark, where the artist lets the material do its thing, embracing the unexpected. It reminds me that artmaking is about discovery as much as intention. This piece reminds me a little of David Hockney’s early etchings where the ordinary world is made strange and new through the simple act of drawing. Art is, after all, an ongoing conversation across time. It’s about opening up possibilities and inviting us to see the world anew.