Ornament met vlinder en een plant 1884 - 1952

Curator: Welcome. Today, we are looking at “Ornament met vlinder en een plant,” which translates to “Ornament with Butterfly and a Plant,” an ink drawing by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries, dating from 1884 to 1952. Editor: My first thought is the fragility of the paper; the rough edges emphasize how ephemeral design work can be. You almost feel the artist’s hand, figuring out patterns. Curator: Absolutely. Vries was working within the Art Nouveau movement, where the decorative arts saw an embrace of natural forms, a reaction against industrialization. His designs provided beauty and ornament to what was, more often than not, mass produced. Editor: Exactly, consider the labour behind each stroke of ink here. It’s an assertion of individual craftsmanship against the standardization of industrial processes. Look at the repetition of motifs—the curves, the leaf-like shapes, they would have been made to standardize them within an industry. Curator: The social context here is fascinating. The Art Nouveau movement offered opportunities for artists to democratize good design. They thought they were ennobling everyday objects and spaces, by introducing carefully designed pieces. Editor: I wonder though. Can true democratisation be achieved when something like the materials used to reproduce them often remained firmly out of reach for the working classes, those being more hand made. Curator: It’s an important point. While Art Nouveau aspired to democratize beauty, economic realities often created barriers, meaning art might only reach more priviledged segments of society through patronage, and architectural or commercial projects that were often, and inevitably, owned or led by those very people. Editor: Well, seeing Vries' design in ink makes one really consider what accessibility means, whether applied in the late 19th, or in the early 21st century. Curator: A beautiful thought to keep with you, and on that note, we bid you farewell.