Details van decoratie van de Salon de musique 1875 - 1930

This sheet showing details of the Salon de Musique is an interesting exploration of the building blocks of design. It is a print, so we are seeing something which is in itself a copy of something else. The use of a monochrome palette gives the image a timeless quality, but it also emphasizes the formal qualities of the image; shape, line, and composition. The columns, for example, are presented as a series of discrete, geometric forms. There is a real push and pull between the two-dimensional surface and the three-dimensional space being represented. Look closely at the vertical panel on the left, the way the foliate forms seem to emerge from the surface, as if they are growing organically. Then compare it with the panel on the right, with its stylized weaponry, suggestive of order and control. In this way, the image can be seen as a conversation between nature and culture, chaos and order. Think of Piranesi, another artist who was fascinated by architectural form, and how it shapes our experience of the world. It's all a work in progress, a constant dialogue.