Omslag van: Tijdschrift voor boek- en bibliotheekwezen, 1903 1903

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this cover for "Tijdschrift voor boek- en bibliotheekwezen," a journal for books and libraries, in 1903. It’s a creamy, muted green colour, a simple palette, but the execution seems painstaking. I can imagine the artist, ruler in hand, carefully plotting out the geometric framework, the borders, the central emblem with its compass and hand, and the radiating lines that connect all parts of the composition. Each line, each curve, is precise and deliberate, contributing to the cover's overall symmetry and balance. I think back to my early days as a painter, grappling with similar issues of composition and structure. I can relate to the artist's desire for clarity and order, a wish to contain the messiness of life within a rational framework. It’s like we're all in this conversation together, across time and space, each adding our own little brushstroke to the ongoing story of art. It's a constant exchange of ideas, a dialogue that never really ends.