Ornamenten met bloemen c. 1901

These 'Ornamenten met bloemen' are floral ornaments sketched by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof. He’s figuring something out, maybe how to make these blooms climb up a vertical surface. You can feel the quickness of the hand; you can almost see the artist deciding, changing, and refining. I love the scratchiness of the line, the way the pencil catches on the paper, and how some of the marks are darker, more confident than others. Look at the top right motif, how the petals are described with a few simple strokes, yet they suggest so much about form and volume. There's something so appealing about seeing an artist's process laid bare. Dijsselhof's openness reminds me of the drawings of Gustav Klimt. Both artists use the floral form to suggest the decorative arts but are also testing their boundaries. Ultimately, this piece reminds us that art is not just about the final product but also about the journey of exploration and discovery.