Getal 6 1904

Editor: Here we have Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries' "Getal 6" from 1904. It's an ink drawing that feels both organic and meticulously geometric. What strikes me is the contrast between the dense black ink and the white space—almost like a block print. What's your take on it? Curator: Well, this piece really highlights the materiality of Art Nouveau. Ink, paper, the very process of drawing – these were being re-evaluated. The clean lines and abstract forms weren't just about aesthetics; they were challenging the hierarchy between fine art and craft production. Think about who was producing these kinds of designs, and where they were being used. Editor: So, beyond being just decorative, you’re saying the *way* it was made and *who* was making it mattered? Was this kind of graphic design meant for mass production? Curator: Exactly! Art Nouveau, in part, aimed to bring art into everyday life. Consider the social context: industrialization was booming. This artwork, therefore, speaks to the growing commercial industry, printing, and accessible art through reproduced imagery. What was previously seen as 'low art' like design work became something more. And by examining the means of production—the ink, the paper, the graphic art—we can understand its intent within the socio-economic fabric of the time. How might the rise of consumer culture have influenced such artwork? Editor: That's fascinating. I never considered the relationship between industrial growth and abstract drawings like this one. Now I see it as less of a design, and more as a social statement about art becoming something that could be consumed. Curator: Precisely. It’s a reminder that art doesn't exist in a vacuum. Thinking about materials, production and its consumption transforms our understanding of it.