Schetsboek met 53 bladen 1854 - 1914

This is Albert Neuhuys' sketchbook with 53 pages, held at the Rijksmuseum. Its dimensions speak to its function: a portable object for an artist deeply engaged in the world around him. The exterior is deceptively simple. A muted palette and rectangular format, belies the intricate ideas contained within. The sketchbook's cover, bearing the marks of time, hints at its use as a repository for ideas. The cover’s texture, smooth yet subtly uneven, suggests the intimate connection between the artist's hand and his medium. Consider the sketchbook as a semiotic object. It represents a boundary between intention and realization, acting as a liminal space where initial concepts take form. Neuhuys’ sketchbook embodies potentiality. It challenges us to consider the role of the artist's book not just as a collection of drawings, but as a dynamic space where ideas are formed.