Ontwerp voor zout- en pepervaten 1874 - 1932

This is a sketch for salt and pepper shakers made by Mathieu Lauweriks, we don't know exactly when, but it's been done with pencil on paper. The lines are so precise. Lauweriks is playing with the way we see function, like the cross-hairs that help us to center these shakers, the architectural lines which tell us about balance and symmetry and also about the design process, the hidden labor. It's like he's turning something ordinary into a little world of discovery. There’s a lovely contrast in this sketch between the brown, rough surface of the paper and the sureness of the lines. When you look closer, you notice how the pencil strokes are not uniform, there’s an almost gentle, human touch in their application that adds to the piece's charm, hinting at the hand that guided them. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin's work, where simplicity speaks volumes, and every subtle mark counts. But unlike her subtle grids, Lauweriks’ design has an implied function. Like all good art, it leaves you pondering.