Ontwerp voor een bloemenvaas 1874 - 1932

Mathieu Lauweriks made this design for a flower vase on paper, sometime around 1912. It’s all in pencil. It’s fascinating to see the process laid bare, the under-drawing exposed. It feels like looking into the artist’s mind. You know, the texture of the paper is almost as important as the lines themselves. The weave gives it a kind of subtle, toothy quality, while the pencil marks vary in pressure and density. Look at the way the lines converge and diverge. Do you notice the subtle ghost of geometric shapes beneath the bolder lines of the vase? It’s like Lauweriks was sketching out different possibilities, building up the form layer by layer. There is a smaller form to the left, like a miniature test run. This piece reminds me of Hilma af Klint's early studies – the way she worked through symbolic forms. It’s the beauty of the provisional, you know? The sketch that's not quite finished but full of potential.