Ontwerp voor titelpagina voor: Stijn Streuvels, Reinaert de Vos, 1910 c. 1910

Bernard Willem Wierink made this title page design for Stijn Streuvels' book, *Reinaert de Vos*, in 1910. What strikes me is how the artist has embraced simplicity and a sense of openness with the bare page showing through. It's as if the page is breathing. I imagine Wierink experimenting, perhaps making multiple versions, each subtly different, as he looked for the perfect combination of precision and chance. It makes me think about the process of art-making as an ongoing conversation between the artist and their materials. It’s not about fixing meaning, it is about opening up possibilities, and finding the sweet spot between control and improvisation. Wierink’s design reminds us that art is not just about what is there, but also about what is not there—the space, the gaps, the silences that allow us to see and feel more deeply.