Ontwerp voor een letter 'P' en een ornament 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this drawing of a letter ‘P’ and an ornament probably as a study for a larger work. It’s a quick sketch, nothing fancy, just a graphite line on paper. I wonder, what was he thinking about when he made it? It makes me think about the relationship between form and function, like how the letter 'P' is both a symbol and a shape. I can imagine de Vries experimenting with different ways to make the ‘P’ more interesting, maybe even trying to make it look like something else entirely. The ornament is like a little secret garden. Both are connected by a kind of playful energy, like he's riffing off the idea of what a letter can be and how it can be decorated. This reminds me of other artists who play with letters and symbols, like Joan Miró, or Paul Klee. Artists are always talking to each other, even across time, and it's cool to see how de Vries is part of that conversation.