Kader 1884 - 1952

Editor: Here we have Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries' drawing, *Kader*, which dates somewhere between 1884 and 1952. It's ink on paper, very Art Nouveau. It looks like a frame… somewhat ominous? Almost ceremonial. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ominous, yes, I get that! Like peering into a gilded, gothic mirror. It reminds me of Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations, but…quieter, somehow. This is De Vries riffing on the Art Nouveau obsession with decorative line. Notice how the negative space within the frame becomes almost as important as the ornate design itself. Does the space inside the frame feel inviting? Editor: Not really. The elaborate border almost seems to *push* you away from the center, it's true! Why emphasize such an abstract decorative frame, and not its contents? Curator: That’s the dance, isn't it? The lack of "content" *is* the content! It's like De Vries is challenging us, urging us to fill it with our own visions, fears, hopes... maybe even just our grocery lists. Does that make it more…or less…ominous? Editor: Hmm, I hadn't thought about it that way. So it's less a defined statement and more of an open-ended question about what *we* bring to it. It becomes… reflective. Curator: Exactly! It’s like he built a beautiful cage and left the door wide open. What *we* choose to put inside it is what matters most. It dances in your mind. Editor: Okay, I can definitely see that shift. The power isn’t in the design, but in our imagination now. Curator: The artist offers an incomplete piece so we might complete the art in turn! I’d be delighted to see where it takes me. Editor: Well, thanks, that certainly opened up my interpretation of *Kader*. I'm going to need to look at a *lot* more art like that!