Ornament met bladeren en bloemen 1876 - 1951

This ornament of leaves and flowers was made by Theo Nieuwenhuis, using pencil and watercolour. What interests me here is the process – the gridlines, the faint washes of green and pink that create a sense of depth within the leaves, the visible corrections and alterations. It reminds me that art isn’t just about the end result; it’s about the journey, the back-and-forth between intention and accident. Look at how the leaves are contained within the square, but also seem to want to burst out of it. And in the top left corner, the artist has written what appears to be the word ‘Sample’ on the page. The transparency of the watercolour allows the paper to shine through, creating a delicate, almost ethereal effect. This feels connected to the work of someone like Hilma af Klint, who also used botanical forms and ethereal colours in her work. It’s like they’re both tapping into a deeper, more mystical understanding of nature, inviting us to see the world in a new light, maybe?