Ontwerpen voor illustraties 1876 - 1924

Curator: What strikes me immediately about these "Designs for Illustrations" by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, created between 1876 and 1924, is their dreamlike quality. It's almost as if we're glimpsing the inner workings of the artist's imagination. Editor: Yes, there’s definitely an otherworldly feel to this piece. It reminds me of the sketches one might find in the back pages of a book, like a discarded scene. You know, I’m especially intrigued by the medium, simply ink on paper, it gives this sense of both the ephemeral and the eternal at once. The stark contrast highlights form and, dare I say it, function. Curator: Precisely! Dijsselhof was deeply influenced by Art Nouveau, and we see those characteristic flowing lines and organic motifs emerging in these miniature dramas. Look at the figures; some appear quite menacing with their swords. One might see in these rough drawings a continuity with other dark narrative traditions, as the designs invoke symbolic confrontation. Editor: You are right, this isn't just a doodle. Given that it's designs *for* illustrations, I wonder about the printing process they would’ve been subjected to at the time. What kind of paper would it be printed on, and how would this simple sketch be transferred to a printing plate, allowing for the dissemination of ideas? It must have been difficult and skilled labour back then. Curator: That is what I find so remarkable. Though unfinished, each section suggests deeper stories, drawing upon archetypes and inviting the viewer to flesh out narratives filled with emotional tension. Editor: Exactly! Consider this piece of paper, the availability of ink, the system for graphic communication in Dijsselhof's milieu… This sketchbook is actually loaded with historical information concerning artistic labour and material processes. The final images will change its cultural meanings entirely once distributed through various printing presses and into different hands. Curator: Seeing all those scenes on one page almost gives you an insight into Dijsselhof’s creative world at the time. Editor: I'm leaving here thinking about the sheer volume of work that informed this, and its possible permutations!