Bloemornamenten 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this little study for floral ornaments, probably with graphite on paper. The drawing has this quality of testing things out, of trying different ornamental arrangements. The wispy lines and the erasures leave a kind of ghost image, a record of the artist's process. It makes me think about automatic drawing, the way one shape can lead to another, and another. Notice that central swirl of tightly packed spirals, it almost gives the feeling of a dark vortex, or a seed about to burst. You could compare this to some of Kandinsky's early studies, but without the colour, or maybe the later work of Philip Guston, but with flowers instead of shoes! I mean, it’s like all art is just one big conversation anyway, right?