Brooch c. 1936

Here, Kurt Melzer has designed a brooch with pencil and watercolour. I’m struck by how the materiality of paper meets the envisioned sparkle of jewels. It’s a kind of alchemy! Look at the way the watercolour blooms softly, creating subtle gradations of color. You can see the artist layering washes to build up depth and richness. Notice, too, the tiny dots arranged around the petals. These little marks aren’t simply decorative; they activate the space around the brooch, giving it a shimmering quality. The delicate lines suggesting the metalwork contrast with the softer, more fluid rendering of the pearls, but complement the precise, technical aspect of design. This piece reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint’s botanical studies, where scientific observation meets spiritual insight. Like Klint, Melzer invites us to see the world with fresh eyes. Art asks us to embrace ambiguity and multiple interpretations over fixed meanings.