Omslagontwerp voor: Cursus Holthuizen. Volledige opleiding voor de hoofd-akte, zonder jaar 1884 - 1952

This cover design for Cursus Holthuizen, made by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries, is all about the elegant and thoughtful placement of line. I imagine de Vries, leaning over the paper, carefully inking each letter. Look how the weight of the letters shifts; each one unique. The lines of the graph paper underneath seem to both support and confine the artist’s design. I wonder if de Vries felt similarly supported and confined. There’s a calligraphic quality to the ‘H’ – a sense of movement and flow. And the way he balances the different weights of the lines, it’s like he's conducting a visual symphony. De Vries has a playful approach to typography that feels fresh, and reminds me of some of my contemporaries today. Painters, designers, we're all constantly borrowing and riffing off each other. It’s one big conversation, and each work is just a single sentence in a long, ongoing exchange.