Ontwerp voor een diploma van de Theosofische Gesellschaft 1874 - 1932

This is a design for a diploma of the Theosophical Society, by Mathieu Lauweriks, and although undated, it looks like it’s from around the 1920s, made using pencil and ink on paper. The linear, geometric forms remind me of Constructivism, yet with an Art Deco twist. I feel like I can really see the hand of the artist here, carefully measuring out each letter, and then meticulously filling in the forms with ink. It must have taken a while. And I wonder if the artist was interested in theosophy, or was he simply fulfilling a commission? It’s interesting how the design looks both modern and ancient at the same time – the rigid geometry of the letters is juxtaposed with the old-fashioned fraktur typeface. Maybe it’s trying to reflect the society itself, drawing on ancient wisdom, but looking forward to a new age. Painters are magpies, always borrowing from each other, and I love the idea of Lauweriks’ design influencing later artists. It shows that art is never created in a vacuum, but emerges through a conversation of ideas, across time.