Haard met spiegel in de Lodewijk II-stijl before 1904

This fireplace with a mirror in the Louis II style was made anonymously, with a real sense of play and lightness, like a doodle in a sketchbook. The whole image has this beautiful thin wash over the surface; the colour is barely there but gives the construction a real sense of weight. It feels very of the moment, like the artist captured the idea very spontaneously. The details are so carefully rendered. The little tiles around the fire box have a subtle variation in colour, so that they appear to catch the light differently. It’s like they’re breathing. I am reminded a little of the American artist, Philip Guston, who could take a mundane object and make it appear full of life. Maybe that’s what all art is about, imbuing something with life, even a drawing of a fireplace.