Skizzenbücher 1850 - 1852

This is one of the sketchbooks by the 19th-century German artist Hans Thoma, now held in the Städel Museum. We see a rectangle, its surface adorned with what appears to be marbled paper in muted greens and blacks. The texture, though simulated, suggests depth and organic forms. A simple, light brown twine is wrapped around the book, intersecting a woven band that secures the cover. The book’s structure embodies a threshold, the exterior hinting at the interior world of the artist’s thoughts. This relates to semiotics, where the visible book cover acts as a signifier, pointing towards the signified—Thoma’s sketches and ideas. The very act of binding pages together to form a book creates a new form that conveys meaning and preserves thoughts. Consider how Thoma used sketchbooks as spaces to engage with ideas. It is in this sustained act of inscription and organization that one finds an aesthetic experience. The book’s form underscores how we, as viewers, engage with art as a structured, meaningful experience.