Ruitvormige ornamenten 1876 - 1924

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof created this drawing of diamond-shaped ornaments, now held in the Rijksmuseum, using graphite on paper. Notice the repeated exclamation mark, a symbol of sudden revelation. In the top diamond, it hangs like a plumb line, a measuring tool, reminding us that understanding the world is a process of measuring our own inner depths. Look at how it reappears in the lower diamond, anchoring a more complex arrangement of circles and lines. This mark echoes across centuries. Think back to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs where a similar shape denoted profound meaning and divine communication. Over time, the exclamation mark has been adopted in modern symbols to convey surprise, urgency, or importance. This evolution shows our collective subconscious striving to articulate intense emotional states. It’s a symbol that resonates with us on a deep, primal level. Dijsselhof's ornaments reflect not just a design, but also a continuous, cyclical progression, revealing how cultural symbols resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings through different historical contexts.