Ontwerp voor een apothekersetiket voor levertraanemulsie 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this design for a cod liver oil emulsion label on paper, though the date is not known. I really respond to the sketchiness of this; you can see the artist working through ideas, letting the pencil wander. It reminds me of my own studio – a beautiful mess of false starts. The standout is the fish. It's rendered in bold black, a confident stroke that anchors the whole composition. But look closer, and you'll see the ghost of other ideas in the background, the architecture of a different design emerging. The contrast between the solid fish and the tentative background creates a tension, a feeling of something in progress. For me, this piece speaks to the messy, imperfect nature of creativity itself. It reminds me of Klimt's preliminary sketches, a glimpse behind the curtain of the finished work. It’s a reminder that art isn't just about the final product but about the journey, the process, the willingness to experiment and discard.