Initiaal L 1909

This ‘Initiaal L’ was made in 1909 by Bernard Willem Wierink, and looking at it, I can just imagine the artist in his studio, carefully inking in each precise line. There’s something about the handmade quality here that’s so appealing. The letter ‘L’ is encased in a square, and the design feels both modern and ancient, doesn’t it? Like it could be from a medieval manuscript, or a contemporary graphic novel. I wonder if Wierink was thinking about the history of typography when he made this, or if he was just playing with form and pattern? For me, this little drawing speaks to the ongoing conversation between artists across time, each one building on what came before, experimenting with new ways of seeing and making. It's a reminder that art is never created in a vacuum but emerges from a rich and complex web of influences and ideas.