Ornament 1884 - 1952

Curator: Look at this striking piece, "Ornament," by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries, created sometime between 1884 and 1952. What leaps out at you? Editor: A feeling of ancient grandeur, honestly. It’s like a fragment from a pharaoh’s tomb or maybe even just something geometric in nature; very retro but also surprisingly contemporary in its starkness. The color scheme is muted but it still makes a statement. Curator: It’s true. The repetitive shapes and vertical pattern really play with your perception. Knowing de Vries was active during a period heavily influenced by the Pattern and Decoration movement gives the image further resonance, though, doesn’t it? The commitment to accessible beauty... Editor: Absolutely, it speaks to democratization through design. I can also view the work as resisting the dominance of Western fine art. Pattern and Decoration elevated traditionally 'feminine' or 'craft' based art forms. The simplicity and emphasis on repetitive design can almost feel radical, questioning traditional hierarchies. Curator: I see that too, but it feels deeply personal. It has this almost naive quality in its lines and rendering... Perhaps its this push-and-pull dynamic that captures my attention the most. What do you think de Vries might have wanted viewers to contemplate here? Editor: Perhaps the meaning wasn't necessarily meant to be overtly revolutionary. This work might speak more to de Vries’s personal experience of seeking beauty. It could symbolize individual efforts within larger structural forces of creative suppression of freedom in the traditional art community during that period. Curator: Or maybe he just liked making pleasing shapes! (laughs) It all comes back to that inherent mystery within art, right? Editor: That is right! In either case, hopefully we've invited some considerations that enhance viewing "Ornament," now and hopefully long into the future.