Ontwerp met bladdecoratie voor de Vereeniging voor den Effectenhandel 1913

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this design with leaf decoration for the Association for Securities Trading. There’s such a delicate touch to the ornamentation, like the whole thing might lift off and float away. The artist's approach to mark-making feels almost meditative, each leaf and line carefully considered. Look at how the light catches the metallic ink, giving the leaves a shimmer that almost seems to breathe. You can imagine the artist holding their breath, too, as they meticulously create these organic forms. Think of the relationship between the precision of the stock exchange and the organic nature of the leaf forms. Like a secret garden. It reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint's drawings, that same sense of searching for a hidden language. But like all good art, this piece resists any simple explanation, offering instead a space for contemplation.