Ontwerpen voor een juwelenkist Possibly 1913

Mathieu Lauweriks made this design for a jewellery box in 1913. It's just pencil on paper, but those tones, that repetition in the mark-making, you can really see him working through a problem, finding the form. What I love about drawings like this is how they show the process, the back and forth. Look at how the swirling lines create a sense of depth. The texture is so delicate, almost like a whisper. The slight imperfections and smudges add so much character. I think this gives it a real sense of movement, like a galaxy or a nautilus. I think that Lauweriks, like Mondrian, was deeply influenced by the Theosophical movement. There's a sense here of a pursuit of underlying harmonies, and connections between the earthly and the cosmic. Ultimately, it’s the simplicity and the rawness that makes it so engaging. It invites us to imagine, to participate in the creation of the final piece. It reminds us that art is a conversation, an ongoing exploration.