Sokkel met ornament 1876 - 1924

This pencil drawing of a pedestal with ornament was made by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, a Dutch artist, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Dijsselhof was part of a generation that consciously rejected naturalism in favor of symbolism and art nouveau. You see this in the stylized ornamentation and the attention to line and shape over realistic representation. Consider the socio-cultural context: the Netherlands at this time was undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization. Artists like Dijsselhof sought to create beauty and order in response to these changes. A drawing like this also speaks to the institutional history of art and design. Dijsselhof taught decorative arts, and we can imagine this sketch as a study for a larger project, or perhaps a teaching aid. Art historians use sources like letters, exhibition catalogs, and design journals to understand the artist's intentions and the role this drawing played in its cultural moment. Ultimately, it's through this kind of research that we can understand how artists engage with and shape the world around them.