Ornament 1884 - 1952

Editor: This whimsical artwork, "Ornament," was created by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries sometime between 1884 and 1952. It's like something you’d find doodled in the margins of a fantastical storybook. I’m intrigued by this black-and-white image of a rooster with a serpent wound around a staff right behind it. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, the obvious bit, the serpent and staff, does echo the caduceus, a symbol often linked with medicine. But put that with the rooster, often associated with vigilance and awakening, and I wonder if De Vries wasn’t playing with ideas of health and awareness… or perhaps a cynical take on false cures? It's also interesting how it is cartoonish. Does it remind you of any particular style or artist? Editor: I hadn't thought of the false cures angle, very insightful! Its "cartoon caricature" certainly has the feel of some editorial cartoons of the period. Do you think he meant for this to be a completed artwork, or was this possibly preparatory work? Curator: Ooh, good question! Knowing it as "Ornament," one does have to think of this as something to decorate a frame. Though one can see it as a design. But with his dates spanning some pretty turbulent times, could the rooster also be a defiant symbol? Perhaps a darkly humorous commentary sketched out in private? After all, a sketchbook, even a finished page, feels intensely personal, doesn’t it? It whispers of hidden thoughts. Editor: It certainly does! I never would have considered those potential meanings at first glance, but that perspective makes me see it in a completely different light now. Thanks! Curator: And thank *you* for bringing that refreshing lens! Sometimes, stepping back and truly *looking* together unearths a little spark.