Advertentie voor sportartikelen van Reppy & Co te Amsterdam en Utrecht 1884 - 1952

This advert for Reppy & Co's sporting goods in Amsterdam and Utrecht, probably made with lithographic printing, is all about simple shapes. The mark making isn't fussy; it's bold, graphic, and really gets the message across. I love how the artist used just black and a pale blue to create a sense of depth and style. Look at the way the woman's tennis outfit is rendered – those tiny blue horizontal lines suggest texture and form without getting overly detailed. It's all about suggestion, leaving space for your imagination. The frame and the words have the same touch with those little circles punctuating the edge. The whole thing has a cool, modernist vibe, kinda like some of Stuart Davis's advertising work, but with a European flair. It reminds me that art is always talking to itself, across time and place, picking up on ideas and remixing them in new and interesting ways. It’s a reminder that art is a conversation, not a lecture.