Fles wijn en twee glazen 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this paper work with ink, called 'Bottle of wine and two glasses'. It's all about shapes, isn't it? How the simple lines of a bottle and glasses can suggest so much more. The solid black ink gives real weight to the objects, they almost loom out at you. The way the bottle's label is just a block, no details, makes you focus on the overall form. And those glasses, like dark mirrors, reflecting the mood of the piece. Look at the curve of the bottle, how it swells and tapers. It's confident, bold. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving, decisive. It reminds me of Manet's bar scenes, that sense of quiet contemplation, but distilled to its purest form. There's a conversation happening here, across time, about seeing and feeling. And isn't that what art is all about, really?