Nederlands fotoalbum met 18 foto's van acteurs 1880 - 1940

This Dutch photo album, now at the Rijksmuseum, is adorned with a decorative cover featuring floral motifs. It’s hard to know exactly how the anonymous maker created it, but maybe they started with a sketch of the composition, figuring out the placement of each flower and vine. I imagine the artisan meticulously pressing each element, feeling the resistance of the material under their tools. You can see the level of detail in the golden highlights tracing the edges of the leaves, which give a sense of depth and texture, like raised ink on paper. They’ve built on techniques developed by others, playing with how light interacts with the surface. It makes me think about the endless back-and-forth between generations of artists. We all borrow, steal, and transform ideas, trying to find our own way of saying something new. And hopefully, we inspire someone else along the way.