Ontwerp voor bord van het model ‘Square’ met vier ganzen c. 1875 - 1880

Albert-Louis Dammouse rendered this design for a square plate with four geese in watercolor and graphite. The artistry here isn't just in the image, but in the material imagination, it shows. Dammouse was thinking about porcelain, a material with a long history, and strong associations with luxury and taste. Yet unlike traditional porcelain painters, he doesn't try to disguise the making of his work. He has captured the soft, subtle hues and translucent quality of porcelain in his watercolor washes, mimicking the porcelain effect using paper. Dammouse's sketch showcases the potential of industrial manufacturing and the artistic process that comes with the design for mass production. Rather than a singular masterpiece, it's a prototype intended for replication, linking it to broader issues of labor, mass production, and consumption. By emphasizing materials and making, we understand how it challenges conventional art boundaries.