Ornamenten met planten c. 1910

Bernard Willem Wierink created these plant ornaments, most likely with red ink on paper. Each horizontal row presents a slightly different arrangement of leaves, berries, and flowers, which could have been repeated to create a wallpaper or border. I wonder if Wierink felt a sense of constraint or freedom working within these pre-defined forms? Did he feel like he was able to express his unique perspective and creativity, or was it more about executing a design? Maybe he was just enjoying the repetition. The limited color palette and graphic style remind me of the Vienna Secession movement. There’s a graphic sensibility to the forms, a flattening of space. I feel like I can almost see him carefully carving the linoleum block, or whatever he was using. As an artist, I know that there's an ongoing conversation between artists across time and place, and that this repetition and variation is just one small contribution to that collective dialogue.