Vignet met distel 1884 - 1952

This is Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries’ ‘Vignet met distel’, made with pen in ink. I love a drawing, especially one that feels like it was made in one go, a kind of automatic writing. The paper has these vertical lines on it, maybe it was a ledger, a place to do accounts. I’m drawn to the idea that the artist chose this material, with its implicit association with money, and placed this delicate thistle right on top of it. The texture of the marks are varied: some are wispy, others thick and deliberate. This makes me think of a quick study, a preparatory sketch for something larger. It’s all about gesture, how the artist flicks their wrist, lets the pen meet the page, and then, pulls away. It reminds me a little of the drawings of Hilma af Klint, both interested in the underlying structures of nature. Ultimately, the beauty of this drawing lies in its simplicity and openness. It invites us to bring our own interpretations, and to see the world with fresh eyes.