Sjabloon met vlinder 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries created this stencil with butterfly, whose date is currently unknown. Vries was a Dutch artist born in a period of rapid social change, which influenced his varied artistic expressions. This stencil invites reflection on the intersection of nature and industrial design. The butterfly, a symbol of transformation, is rendered in geometric forms. There's something both delicate and mechanical about it. Butterflies have often been associated with femininity, evoking ideas of fragility, but the stencil form also hints at the mass production. I wonder if Vries was trying to evoke the complexities of gendered labor, where feminine associations are industrialized. This piece really speaks to the layered meanings we find in everyday objects and reminds us of the artist's hand in shaping our understanding and emotional connection to them.