Ontwerp voor een tapijt met geometrisch patroon Possibly 1927

Dirk Verstraten made this design for a geometric carpet with gouache, watercolor, and graphite. I can imagine Verstraten bent over his desk, carefully sketching lines and shapes. The colors—dusty pinks, blues, and reds—feel so considered, like each choice was wrestled with, pushing him toward the final design. I wonder if he saw the colors first and then let them dictate the forms, or was it the other way around? The geometric shapes almost look like little houses or buildings, stacked and arranged like a miniature city. You know, it makes me think about Hilma af Klint who also used geometric abstraction to convey complex ideas. I wonder if Verstraten was aware of her work, or other artists pushing boundaries with abstraction at that time. I see painting as a conversation between artists, across time and space. We are all sort of influencing each other, responding to what came before, and pushing things forward in our own way.