Nederland en Posthuma before 1916

Willy Sluiter made this poster, Nederland en Posthuma, sometime in the early 20th century, I would guess, using lithography. It’s a technique that allows for these really subtle gradations in tone. I’m drawn to the way the artist captures this quiet domestic scene. The light is muted, colors are restrained, like a brown sauce, but there's this tension. Notice how the blue stripes in the background create a pattern that’s almost suffocating. The man on the left, he’s lost in thought, and the woman next to him, she seems withdrawn. It’s a portrait of a marriage, maybe, or just a moment of shared silence. The color palette feels very traditional, but the composition is surprisingly modern. I’m reminded of Dutch genre painting, but there’s something more psychologically complex at play here, you know? Sluiter’s got this way of making the everyday feel significant, like Johannes Vermeer, but with a bit more grit.