Ornament met vlinder 1884 - 1952

This little drawing by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries is called Ornament met vlinder. It’s got dense, deliberate black ink lines, and the word Versieringskunst. You can see the layout with a central text. It’s almost like de Vries is working as a graphic designer. The whole thing vibrates with this wonderful precision. I can imagine him sitting, totally absorbed, slowly and meticulously layering the ink. The top section reminds me of royal regalia, but the bottom section is insect-like. I wonder if he was riffing on both? I’m moved by how the artist seems to be in this conversation with art and design history, with a kind of folk-art sensibility. There is no fixed meaning, but the drawing offers a space for many interpretations. It reminds us that art and design is an ongoing conversation, where each artist inspires the creativity of others.