Ontwerp voor een blik 1890 - 1946

This preliminary sketch, ‘Ontwerp voor een blik’, was drawn by Cornelis Vreedenburgh. You can see a few ideas here, an exploratory way of approaching the design of a tin. I love sketches. I find it helpful to imagine Vreedenburgh working on this, trying out a few different things and not worrying too much about being neat. The marks are light and free. There's something honest about the way he's drawing; the can is an invitation for us to look at design as a problem-solving process. Vreedenburgh probably had a commission to fulfill or a client to please, and a whole industry of other people doing similar work. The image shows an interesting balance between commercial requirements and the artist's freedom of expression. This is not dissimilar to being a painter today! We are all in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas, and inspiring each other. Uncertainty allows for multiple readings, which can lead to many possibilities.