Romaans bandmotief c. 1890 - 1922

This Romanesque design was made by Johanna van de Kamer with paint and ink. It's laid out in a grid of soft greens and the inky darks feel almost like a shadow. I think about the artist, head bent over the page, carefully filling in the color and patiently repeating the pattern across the page. What I like about this work is that it’s both calculated and organic. The grid gives it structure, but then there's this little leaf motif, which looks hand-painted, not printed. It’s kinda stiff, a little awkward, but I love that. The leaves remind me of Matisse cut-outs or maybe even some of the pattern-based work of Agnes Martin. Artists, we're all in conversation, you know? Taking cues and inspiration from one another across time. Painting is about so much more than just the final image; it's an embodied expression that embraces ambiguity.