Gordijn met vlinderpatroon in roze op beige grond 1909 - 1924

This curtain with a butterfly pattern in pink on a beige background was made by Theo Nieuwenhuis. I imagine Theo carefully planning, meticulously cutting the block, maybe even carving the butterfly himself. You can see this lovely ground, like a sandy beach. Then the whole thing is overlaid with the suggestion of a grid, and nestled in the grid, these soft pink butterflies. It is all very subtle, like a whispered pattern. You know, making a pattern is a lot like making a painting. You repeat a shape again and again, but each time it's slightly different. Like a conversation where you keep coming back to the same idea, but each time you say it, it changes a little. I bet Theo, in his own way, was thinking about other artists, other patterns, and maybe even other butterflies as he was making this. Ultimately, this curtain invites you to see the world in a new way, to notice the patterns around you, the subtle shifts and changes that make each moment unique.