Ontwerp voor een spiegel 1887 - 1911

Editor: Here we have "Design for a Mirror" created by Gust van de Wall Perné sometime between 1887 and 1911. It’s a watercolor drawing now residing at the Rijksmuseum. It looks like an architectural blueprint…almost sterile. What are your thoughts on it? Curator: Let us focus on its structure. The bilateral symmetry is immediately apparent, anchoring the design. The composition reveals a clear hierarchy, from the solid, grounding base to the more ornate, ethereal top, mirroring the gaze one might find reflected within. Do you observe how the use of peacock feathers on both sides does create balance, but also directs our eyes inward? Editor: Yes, the eye is definitely drawn to the center. Are you saying that the components within this framework are intentionally guiding our vision, inward? Curator: Precisely. The design also hinges on the interplay between the hard lines of the frame and the soft, translucent washes of watercolor within. Notice how the geometry gives way to the atmospheric suggestion within the mirror itself. Consider the color choice; the deep greens feel earthy and grounded, setting up a visual dynamic with the light blues within the mirrored surface. Editor: The layering of geometric and organic, that tension between earthiness and light. How does that elevate the artwork? Curator: The strength in "Design for a Mirror" comes from its manipulation of visual contrasts, turning a functional object into a space ripe with implied meanings. Ultimately, the work's semiotic force arises from the interplay of all of its elements. Editor: So it’s a functional object representing this contrast, which results in beauty. Very insightful, thank you. Curator: An artwork's functionality can create constraints which elevate artistic expressions to unique achievements. Thank you.