Design for "Les Heures d'Après Midi" by Emile Verhaeren 1896 - 1910

Julia Eyckholt made this cover design for Emile Verhaeren's book of poetry with pencil, ink and watercolor. It's all pale grays and pinks, like a daydream floating up from the page. I really get a sense of Eyckholt thinking through this project. She seems to have tried things out, reconsidered, and then arrived at this cover. You can see the title carefully placed inside a decorative border. Roses bloom at the top and bottom, all very considered. Eyckholt makes the lettering and floral motifs work together. The composition feels very delicate and sensitive. Look at the way she uses pale watercolor to create subtle variations in tone and texture. It's easy to see a relation to the work of other graphic designers of the period, yet it is fresh and has its own character. Ultimately, artists learn from each other and build on what has come before. They’re in constant exchange, passing ideas around through time. What Eyckholt has made here can be a starting point for us to wander and wonder about art, creativity, and, ultimately, life.