Album voor Prof. Hugo de Vries c. 1918

This is a photograph of ‘Album voor Prof. Hugo de Vries’ by P. Oosterhuis. While the date of the artwork is unknown, Oosterhuis was active in the 19th century. The composition presents a geometric album cover. Its formal arrangement is structured around a central circular motif surrounded by four stylized floral designs and other geometric forms. The album’s design reflects an intersection of scientific precision and aesthetic ornamentation. This interplay between scientific representation and artistic expression embodies the era’s drive to merge rational inquiry with visual culture. Here, the album's cover serves as a symbolic interface between the inner compendium of knowledge and the external world. It's a fusion of art and science. By visually integrating botanical themes with geometric abstraction, the album cover destabilizes conventional boundaries between scientific and artistic ways of seeing and knowing. Art provides a space for ongoing interpretation and re-interpretation.