Vaas van aardewerk met abstract decor in bruin en zwart c. 1925

Jaap Gidding made this earthenware vase with its abstract decor in brown and black. I’m imagining Gidding going at it, trying to solve a visual puzzle. The colours, creamy white, umber and charcoal create a striking visual experience. The design, carefully delineated, has a strong sense of structure. It’s as if he’s building up a story, layer by layer, decision by decision. I wonder what he was thinking, what he was feeling, as he painted those lines and shapes, pushing and pulling the composition into being. Perhaps the work of other painters, like Fernand Leger, or even Picasso was on his mind. You can sense their presence in his painting, in the way he simplifies forms and plays with geometric shapes. Artists are always having this kind of conversation, across time and space, inspiring each other, borrowing ideas, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can be. What do you think?