Omslagontwerp voor: De Nederlandsche handel en nijverheid in woord en beeld, 1901 before 1901

This is a book cover design, made around 1901 by Johann Georg van Caspel for a book about Dutch trade and industry. I’m thinking about Caspel, alone in his studio, carefully drawing each detail of the heraldic lions and leafy garlands. What must it have been like to make art back then? The design is so controlled, so precise, with every element carefully placed within the frame. And yet, within that formality, there's also this little spark of whimsy, especially in the gentle, muted colours. The palette is quite limited: primarily greens, browns, and creams, which creates a kind of subtle harmony. What I really love about looking at a piece like this is imagining how this designer’s mind might have jumped off the page. Like, where do these motifs come from? I think we artists are in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas across time and space. Each of us influencing and inspiring the others. Painting is a form of expression that allows for multiple interpretations and meanings, and that's what makes it so endlessly fascinating.