Letterontwerp voor een boek gepubliceerd door dr. P. Kieft 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this Letterontwerp, or lettering design, for a book using ink on paper. Look at the Gothic lettering, thick and dark, bearing down from the top of the page. Imagine the artist hunched over a desk, carefully applying the ink, working slowly, deliberately. I wonder if he was thinking about illuminated manuscripts? About calligraphy? Or the flow of words, and how their visual presence affects meaning? I think there’s a relationship between the controlled design of the letters and the flourish of the ornament. One provides a framework, the other offers freedom, kind of like counterpoint in music. This piece reminds me that even design is a form of painting. Whether abstract or figurative, mark-making connects us across time and inspires creativity. And so, even in this small lettering design, we get a glimpse into the artist's inner world, their sense of aesthetics, and their desire to communicate.