Proefdruk voor pagina uit Reinaert de Vos c. 1910

Curator: Welcome. Today we are looking at a work by Bernard Willem Wierink, a proof print for a page from Reinaert de Vos, dating from around 1910. It is currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s crafted with ink and watercolor on paper, a beautiful example of decorative art from the Art Nouveau period. Editor: My initial reaction is a sense of quiet elegance, like a whisper from the past. The aged paper itself seems to tell a story. And those geometric, stylized borders are giving me all sorts of fairy-tale vibes, reminiscent of royal stationary—but unused, unfinished. What story was meant to go here? Curator: Indeed. The 'Reinaert de Vos' cycle itself is fascinating. These tales, deeply rooted in Northern European folklore, offered a biting satire of medieval society. By assigning animal traits to human types—the cunning fox, the brutish bear—Wierink, even with this 'blank canvas' as it were, participates in a long tradition of critiquing power structures, reflecting the era's socio-political anxieties. Editor: So this isn't just about decoration; it’s a frame meant to house subversive storytelling? The thought of a wily fox as the main character gets my mind spinning— especially imagining the story enhanced by those beautiful art nouveau lines. Almost like visually sweetening the rebellious undertones with style! Curator: Precisely! Art Nouveau, as a style, often flirted with counter-cultural ideas, challenging academic traditions while seemingly embracing the beautiful. And by extension, decorative frames like this can hold stories within them, shaping the narrative. A story where the weak, through wit and deception, topple the powerful is certainly still resonant. Editor: It makes you think about how stories are framed, not just literally here in the artwork, but metaphorically. Which voices are heard and how are they presented to us? Is the frame itself a tool of manipulation, or empowerment? Food for thought! I look at it now in a completely different way! Curator: It does give one pause. In a society obsessed with narratives—their construction, their propagation—an image such as this serves to reminds us to examine every border, and that no element, not even a decorative one, exists in a vacuum. It reflects an urgent invitation to think critically, pushing beyond surface level meaning. Editor: Absolutely. This seemingly delicate print sparks bold considerations! From just a quick glance, you may only observe elegance, yet so much lies within. The unwritten tale and potential frame manipulation makes one aware. It truly makes the gears start turning. Curator: Indeed. Thank you for your thoughts. Editor: The pleasure was all mine.