Twee puntkommen, één bol en één hol 1851 - 1930

Editor: This drawing, titled "Twee puntkommen, één bol en één hol," meaning "Two pointed bowls, one convex and one concave," is by Theo Colenbrander, created sometime between 1851 and 1930 using pencil and mixed media on paper. I’m struck by the contrast between the precise geometric underdrawing and the freehand sketch of what seem to be fabric forms. What do you see in this work? Curator: The image resonates with the architectural diagrams found in pattern books throughout history, yet also touches upon something deeply psychological. The shapes, bowl-like yet abstract, hint at containment, offering and receiving. Do you notice how one is Bol – convex, offering itself outward – while the other is Hol, concave, receptive? Editor: I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but yes, I see that now. Is it unusual to see such direct symbolism in what appears to be a preparatory drawing? Curator: Not at all. The visual language of shape itself carries inherent symbolic weight. The circle, the vessel, the curve - these all speak to cycles, nurturing, the feminine principle, echoing primordial forms that humans have responded to across millennia. Colenbrander might have consciously or unconsciously tapped into this shared reservoir of imagery. Look at the scalloped edges: Do these evoke anything specific for you? Editor: They almost remind me of flower petals...or perhaps a stage curtain? Curator: Precisely! These undulating lines softens the geometry. It also injects a sense of theatricality, suggesting perhaps that these forms are not merely objects, but players on some kind of stage, representing deeper emotional states or relational dynamics. It transforms mere utilitarian objects into carriers of something more profound. Editor: So, it's almost as though he’s designing more than just bowls; he’s sketching out a relationship? Curator: Precisely! He’s invoking powerful visual archetypes, echoing themes of reception and projection which reverberate on a cultural level. Editor: That's fascinating; it's made me think about design in a completely new way. Curator: And for me, this reaffirms that every shape holds symbolic potential, whispering tales from our collective unconscious.