Houdt moedig zee 1915

This ceramic plate with blue decoration, ‘Houdt moedig zee,’ was made by De Porceleijne Fles. It shows a sailboat at sea and is bordered by a decorative pattern. I love how humble the scene is. The brushstrokes feel so determined, navigating the curves of the plate's surface, all in shades of blue. I imagine the artist carefully layering the pigment to create depth and movement, almost like the sea itself. It’s easy to see that they probably mixed the color meticulously, working out all the details in a tiny studio somewhere. The date 1915 is painted on the sail. It’s like the artist is having a conversation with all the other paintings, and all the other painters across time. The simple image contains so much information, so much feeling. Painting is like that, an embodied expression of feeling. The result is ambiguous, allowing for multiple interpretations, opening a space for the viewer’s imagination.