Ontwerp voor een datum- en opdrachtblad van een oorkonde voor N.C. Smith 1910

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this beautiful design for a charter using watercolor and pencil. I just imagine him sitting at his desk, carefully outlining the shape with pencil, and then adding the washes of muted colors – golds, greens, and grays. I’m thinking about his hand moving across the paper, thinking about these two hands clasped in the middle, as if creating a moment of connection and agreement. It’s like he’s crafting a tiny stage for this gesture of unity. The two dates listed bookend the central image. Maybe the beginning and the culmination of some kind of agreement? It makes me think about the conversations artists have through time, each adding to a visual language that connects us, influencing and inspiring one another's creativity. With its emphasis on line, color, and symbolic imagery, this piece encapsulates a form of expression that embraces precision and sensitivity. It suggests the endless possibilities in art making.