Sjabloon met ornament, mogelijk een liggend dier 1884 - 1952

Editor: Here we have "Sjabloon met ornament, mogelijk een liggend dier", a linocut print by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries, created sometime between 1884 and 1952. It feels both organic and architectural somehow… all these geometric lines and then that flowing central shape. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What I find compelling is how this print complicates the very notion of ‘decorative art.’ At first glance, it’s easy to categorize it as simply ornamental, perhaps even apolitical. But what happens when we consider its creation within the historical context of early 20th-century European colonialism? The geometric structure underlying the image might represent a very deliberate colonial framework, suppressing any interpretation rooted in an organic form. What do you make of the tension in medium (linocut print) versus its ornamental design? Editor: Well, it's interesting because the printmaking process itself—the carving away to create a design—feels almost like an act of deconstruction. Is it possible that the artist is using the decorative art style ironically, almost subverting it? Curator: Precisely! Perhaps de Vries is using the language of decoration, something often coded as feminine or domestic, to subtly critique the rigid, masculine structures of power. Consider how often "decorative" arts were dismissed as frivolous compared to "fine" arts. Is the choice of geometric underpinning an attempt at cultural and power structure, or might the ornament itself have roots in non-Western traditions appropriated and repackaged by European designers? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way – that this piece is making an argument about those power dynamics just through its composition and medium. Curator: Art often speaks volumes when it's forcing us to reconsider long standing values and judgements based on cultural and personal differences. Thank you for lending your perspectives to further shape it! Editor: Absolutely, I've gained new understanding and an enriching perspective!