Ornamenten met bloemen 1870 - 1937

Willem Wenckebach made these flower ornaments on paper, but I can't tell when. I’m immediately drawn to the rhythm. It’s like a little dance of line and form unfolding across the page. Look at the stark contrast of black and white, and then that pale grey wash, almost like a memory or a shadow. It's so fascinating to imagine Wenckebach experimenting, maybe repeating a shape over and over, trying to find just the right balance. The flowers he’s drawn have this strange, almost stylized quality, not quite naturalistic. I can feel him working it out, step by step, each little study building on the last. And it's not just about the flowers, but also about the space around them, the way the shapes interact and play off each other. It reminds me of other graphic artists of the period, those exploring art nouveau and early modernist styles, all trying to find a new language for ornament and design. What a gift to be in conversation across time in this way.