Karton met witte strook kant, aaneengeschakelde ruiten gedecoreerd met acht bloemen rond een cirkel c. 1920

This is a strip of lace, made by Gustav Schnitzler. It's intricate, delicate, like a frozen spiderweb. The way the threads loop and knot, it's almost obsessive. I can imagine Schnitzler lost in the making of this piece, each stitch a meditation. The creamy, off-white color is so soft, so muted. It's almost like looking at something ancient, something that's been around for ages, absorbing the light and dust of history. It is a material investigation, this lace. You can see the physical presence of the artist in every imperfection, in every knot and weave. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin's grids, but where Martin's work is spare and minimal, this lace is maximal, overflowing with detail. I guess art is just an ongoing conversation, artists riffing off each other across time. And like any good conversation, it's full of unexpected turns and surprising insights.