Omslag tijdschrift Theosophia before 1935

Mathieu Lauweriks made this cover for the Theosophia journal with ink on paper, and you know, when you look at it, you can just feel that artmaking is a process. The solid blacks and stark whites, the detailed linework, everything builds up and then comes together as this whole strange world. Check out the central star and the lotus at the bottom; both are made up of so many tiny marks. It’s almost like Lauweriks is showing us how every big idea is really just a collection of little things, a million tiny thoughts. The cover reminds me a bit of Hilma af Klint, especially in its use of symbols and spiritual imagery. Art is an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, and both invite us to look beyond the surface and see all these hidden meanings. I love how the piece embraces ambiguity, it allows for multiple interpretations, it's not fixed at all.